Learning To Love
by Dragoness of the Stars
Summary: Saying "yes" to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with is one of the most important moments in one's life, right? Po is forced into faking a happily wedded life with Tigress for a week. For Ti, it's a way out of being kicked out of the Palace Grounds. For the Dragon Warrior, it's an opportunity to confess his undying crush to her. human!AU. TiPo. Fluff galore.
1. Proposal!

_I should be doing other things but I'm SUCH A SUCKER FOR HAPPY TUMBLR AU'S. What is wrong with me? _

_So anyway, this won't be that long, chapters will be short, things will get fluffy and cute, and expect TiPo to the cuddliest cuddle. Make sure to review, favorite and follow for more chapters!_

_I do not own Kung Fu Panda._

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"Hey,"

Po glanced up from the scroll he was reading and stared up to the sternly narrowed, golden-brown eyes of Tigress. Her arms, dark and freckled and uncovered, crossed over her chest, accompanying a nervous frown plastered on her face.

"Hey, Ti." Po offered a warm smile. "Whatchya want?"

"No one's close by, right?"

Po's eyebrows furrowed. "No, why?"

She sat down next to him on the moss under the shadow of the peach tree. "it's going to sound shady and kind of crazy, let me warn you."

"Oh?" Po put down the scroll and grabbed a nearby peach. He grinned, albeit suspiciously. "What does that mean?"

She seemed to gather her courage before clearing her throat and forcing out her next sentence. "I...need you to pretend to be my husband."

Po dropped the peach mid-point, letting it hang limply between his teeth. "Fwhat?" His eyes almost popped out of his head.

"I'm sorry to shock you," Tigress mumbled, pushing the peach back into his mouth with her palm.. "Look, I'm just as astounded as you are. Shifu asked me to-a high authority connected to the emperor is visiting in a week, and he's...very conservative. If Viper and I aren't married or in a relationship with a man in the Jade Palace, he sees us as unfit and worthless. He doesn't recognize us as warriors, and he'll shut down the Jade Palace for trusting a _woman _to guard their city."

"I don't like him." Po had now finished three peaches and was anxiously munching on two at a time. "I really, really, don't. He should be fired. Or you and Vipe could just whip out some freaking awesome moves-"

"He refuses to even see us without a man 'watching over' us." Tigress growled darkly, fire spreading across her eyes. Her nose scrunched up in frustration. "I hate him. He's visited before. But that was when I was a child, and marriage was not needed as protection, due to my father. Shifu."

"But now you absolutely _have _to be married. That's messed up." Po was pretty sure his pale skin had flared up red. He ran his fingers through his wind-blown hair and puffed up his cheeks, exhaling after he could feel the stress in his stomach slowly unknotting. "It shouldn't be too bad, I guess."

"We just have to pretend." Tigress shrugged. "Just when we're around him. I guess sleep in the same room, maybe. Shifu has a house designated to guests that he said we could use. There are separate bedrooms in there. Otherwise, it's all just a disguise."

"But...why me?"

Tigress smirked sullenly at her reflection in his green eyes. The curiosity in them went deep and genuine.

"You're the guy closest to me. My...best friend." Tigress suddenly couldn't hold his stare. She shrugged. "You were the first choice, I suppose, Dragon Warrior."

Po's heart thumped wildly against his ribcage. He rubbed his face with his hands, processing his even wilder whirl thoughts and emotions. Tigress might only see him as a best friend, but Po, for lack of stronger words, adored her. She was his idol, his comforter, his friend, the person in the background providing tough love and small, supporting smiles. His little blush whenever she'd talk to him had grown more obvious and prevalent. He couldn't stop talking about her when he was with his dad. Yet he respected her way to much to even consider confessing his ridiculous, heartfelt infatuation.

But maybe this opportunity was sent from the gods above. Maybe it was a chance to say every little crushing detail weighing down his heart.

He drew his hands away, breathing in slowly, meditating on his response. "Tigress," he turned around, forcing a goofy smile. "You feel like proposing?"

Tigress let out a relieved laugh, then took his hands into hers. "Po Ping, Dragon Warrior, will you marry me for a week?"

Po feigned a surprised gasp, then said in an impossibly high falsetto, "Oh, my dear Tigress, yes!"

Inside, his heart was sinking.

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_Hope you enjoyed. ^-^_

_-DOTS_


	2. Cleaning Is For Dorks

_Part two-I'm going to try and update from between Saturday-Monday every week, but there are no promises! Also, cover art is by me. :)_

_I do not own Kung Fu Panda._

* * *

The emperor's friend was a small, obnoxious, and pasty-skinned man with a frayed grey beard and smelled like mushrooms. He stalked in like he owned the place, harrumphed at the docile women with their assigned husbands, Crane and Po, and began to demand services from Shifu.

Before they left, he turned around, sneered at the lovely couples, and snapped, "You men keep those two in place. They have begun to have ideas recently. I've heard rumors of female warriors-make sure none have the dishonor of even _wondering _about those fantasies.'

Po could of sworn Tigress would of bristled up and hissed like a cat if she had been one. He kept her from pouncing with a gentle grasp on her forearm and nodded. "It will be seen to your word, Lord Shu-Poo."

"It's Zhau-Fu, you insolence." The man whipped around. "Peasant Shifu, I asked for that tea _now_, not for the _next dynasty_!"

"I will feed his beard to the birds and his skin to the fish," Tigress snarled after he was out of earshot.

"Whoa, there, Ti." Crane said. "We don't like him, but…" He and Viper were walking away from the courtyard towards their designated quarters for the week. "Don''t you think that's a little harsh?"

Viper sighed and dragged him away using only her fingertips. "Let's go have a talk, Crane."

"Right, sure. S-sorry."

They slipped outside the doors, and Po released his "wife's" arm. She sighed heavily.

"Fine, maybe it was too harsh."

"No way," Po chuckled, rubbing his neck. "I was a about to suggest we shave his eyebrows off with a blunt knife."

Tigress cracked a faint smile. "You are crueler than your innocent guise portrays you, Dragon Warrior,"

"Crazy, huh?" Po gestured towards the doors. "Should we go check out our living premises for the next week, love?"

Tigress let herself play along. "Why not, my dear?" She shyly offered her hand, and Po coiled his fingers around hers.

* * *

The house was stark, white, nearly empty and full of furry, small spiders Po was terrified of. Tigress crinkled her nose at the fine layer of musty dust on the bed covers an shook her head. "This won't do."

"Nope. We'll sleep outside, where there are less creepy devil-spawn." Po shivered and flicked one of his shoulder.

"Here," Tigress swiped off the heavy blanket, and dust puffed up in an impossibly dense cloud into the atmosphere. Po gagged away the spiderwebs and dirt, his eyes watering.

"Ti!"

He heard a snarky laugh, then the blanket landed heavily on his chest.

"Go shake it outside, mighty Dragon Warrior."

"This thing is twice my size!"

"So are most the bandits you fight on a daily basis."

Po stuck out his lower lip. "Those aren't limp and heavier than an elephant."

Tigress whacked his shoulder. "Stop complaining, _husband_." Then she swept her palm through his hair and another curtain of dust sprinkled off into their faces. Po sneezed.

They both grinned, and for a moment they thought they saw something soften in each other's eyes. Hesitantly, Tigress practiced rubbing her hand against his forearm with tense affection.

Then she stopped, stiffly, and said, "Po, I think we might need to try and be a little fonder in public."

"Oh," Po flushed red. "O-okay. I'm fine with that, I guess."

His partner ducked her head shyly. "I know I'm not the best at public displays of adoration or anything, but I promise I'll try."

The Dragon Warrior shrugged, feeling his neck tingle warmly. "As you wish, m'lady." He swept out one arm in flourish and bowed half-heartedly, struggling with the clumsy weight of the rug in his hands. "Ask-and it shall be done."

"Whatever I wish for?" There was a grin ghosting her face. "Go and beat out that rug, my prince."

Po decided they would have no trouble at all with pet names during the week.

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_So...review! Favorite! Follow! Hope you enjoyed. :) _

_-DOTS_


	3. Not Their Chemical Romance

_Here's the next chapter. Warning: Borderline rabbit-fur fluff. :D Enjoy._

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Lord Zhau-Fu's gaze was irritated and his face curled into a scowl. It resembled curdled cheese. He watched the four men bash away at the obstacle course and their despicable, complacent wives sitting on the bench in a darkened corner.

Shifu was barking out orders and glancing back of the Lord every now and then. The bearded man seemed to ignore his male student's effort and instead analyzed Tigress and Viper, their toned muscles and short-cut hair. Traits of any warrior.

"Shifu," he hissed, "Last time I was here, that little brat of yours dishonored me. I hope the Dragon Warrior has trained her into domesticity."

"She…respects him, and I promise, Maste—Lady Tigress will not make the same mistake as she did _twenty years ago._" Shifu answered through gritted teeth.

"Has it only been twenty? You've aged atrociously."

When the Grandmaster didn't respond, Lord Zhau-Fu's voice rose to a whiny pitch. "I don't care how well you've trained her in this horrid 'art of Kung Fu' nonsense, but take a wise man's word for it. Women are not fit to be warriors!"

Across the room, Tigress's ears stung with the sheer conviction in the little man's accusation. Her nails made puncture marks in the wood of the bench, like cat claws scraping at flesh. Viper gave her a sympathetic look.

"Sister, I know this is harder for you than it is for me, since I've been dating Crane." she offered a smile and rubbed her friend's shoulder. "And I know you and Po have had your fights, but your great team-mates and friends. You'll get through this and it'll be over before you know it."

"I'm not complaining about Po. In fact, he's been pretty great. Good at sweeping houses. Terrified of spiders," Tigress chuckled, then sighed it off. "But that piece of filth over there—he's slowly murdering me with his idiotic, sexist comments. I wish I could snap that frail neck of his in half."

"Patience, Tigress." Viper whispered, giggling, in her ear. "I think he's gonna have a heart attack just because you aren't all smiling and docile. Let time take care of him, and you take care not to commit any crimes."

* * *

They sat at dinner that night with Lord Zhau-Fu meticulously overseeing their every act. Viper and Crane had everything to a science; lots of hand-touching, Eskimo kisses, feeding each other noodle soup and giggling like smitten teenagers. It nearly made Monkey and Mantis gag.

If they were the chemical romance of science, Tigress and Po were environmental studies. Dry and stormy.

Their shoulders bumped awkwardly, and Po blushed. He tried to serve her the soup and sloshed it clumsily over the table. Some of it sprayed off onto her shirt.

"Po, _darling." _she snatched the ladle out of his hands and shook her head. "Please be careful.'

Her mood had certainly soured since this morning, Po noted. He'd also heard Zhau-Fu fussing during his training and it was enough to make anyone angry. So he attempted to be understanding.

"Sorry, Ti." He shrugged and hesitantly scooted his chair closer to hers. She rolled her eyes when he stepped her foot accidentally, but kept her mouth shut. Zhau-Fu was starting to look suspicious.

"It's fine." Tigress cleared her throat and ran her fingers down his arm. Her touch felt on edge, like she would snap her hand off at any minute. "Finished yet?"

Po gave a sheepish grin. "Fourth bowl."

Tigress let herself grin, just a little bit. "Hungry, weren't you, big guy?"

The tightness in her voice faded slightly. Po wound his hand to hers and rubbed his thumb against her knuckles. "Definitely. Should I get us some peaches for dessert?"

Tigress squirmed at his gaze. The touching seemed to rub her the wrong way, and it was numbly exhilarating. They were too close, and she felt too comfortable, but yet she found herself nodding. "I'll go with you, and we'll get some for everyone, okay?"

"Of course." Before leaving, they bowed to Shifu and Zhau-Fu, and the Dragon Warrior offered Tigress his elbow and she hooked her arm around it. Once they were outside, they immediately separated. Po huffed out the uneasiness welling in his throat.

"That was pretty bad."

Tigress laughed bitterly. "Astoundingly so." She looked up and let the moonlight wash over her face, feeling jittery. "Gods, we need to practice affection. It's so _foreign_ to me."

Po nodded in agreement. "Sure. But we'll get it."

"How? I'm a failure at this." She slumped against the door and cradled her forehead in her fingers. "I'm going to screw this up, and the Jade Palace will close down because of that overgrown _rat_…"

"Hey, wait. Hey," Po sidled over and mock-punched her shoulder. "You'll get it. You're _Master Tigress. _How hard could it be? I mean, c'mon. I know you're secretly a big softie. You just need to let it come through."

Tigress batted his grasp away, but Po had managed to drag out a small grin. He clapped his hands over her shoulders and said, "I'll help you, okay, Ti? When we go home, I'll teach you how to bring out your inner PDA until we seem just as infatuated with each other as Crane and Viper are."

Tigress nodded half-heartedly, snickering. Her eyes were bright crimson in the moonlight, and they lit up when she smirked.

"All right, Po."

The mighty Dragon Warrior felt his insides melt into puddles.

She stepped away and he shyly reached over, his eyebrows quirking upwards in suggestion. Tigress clasped her hand over his and pressed herself close to his side, her head reaching up to his collarbone. Po tried to ignore the butterflies, moths, and assortment of other winged insects fluttering in his gut, and they walked up to the peach tree.

It was a chilly night, after all.

* * *

_I warned you. Cute fluffiness. Hope you enjoyed, and leave a review! Next chapter might take longer, but it won't if I get more support. Have a good rest of your day. :)_

_-DOTS_


	4. Breaking Stuff is Fun

_Little more of an action-focused chapter, hence it being longer. I promise, more fluff/hurt/comfort in the next chapter. :) Enjoy. I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Also the reason I've taken so long is because I've been kind of distraction by a certain musical called Les Misérables, which is BEAUTIFUL and hEART-WRENCHING and HORRIBLY SAD so totally watch it/listen to the music. 1100/10 would recommend. Also, do not fall in love with Javert's character. Your heart will be ripped in two._

* * *

Tigress woke up in a foreign room and her eyes widened. Which was the closest exit, were the walls hollow, where was the source of light….

She rubbed her head with her palm, then let her fingers slide down to her mouth. Right. Different building, not captured.

Across the room, where her "husband's" door had opened, she could see Po sprawled out on his bed, his sheets tangled around his feet and thrown on the floor. His pillow covered half his face and was damp with drool. It nearly made Tigress giggle.

He heard her small chuckle and cracked open one green eye, smirking sleepily. "Morning, sunshine."

The warrior yawned, her tongue curling into her mouth, and pushed herself up. She dangled her legs over the side of the bed and blew away a few strands of tawny-red hair. "Morning, Dragon Warrior. You can have the bathroom first. I'm meditating."

She cracked her knuckles, stretched her back, then sat down butterfly-style on a mat on the floor. Po shrugged and muttered into his pillow. "Right. Nice progress on the affection."

He huffed out a laugh at the cushion thrown against his head.

* * *

Po emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and rubbing off the moisture from his hair. He called out, "Ti, your turn! Also, ah. Don't look this way!"

He snatched up his clothes from his bed quickly dressed. He grabbed a few training bandages and wrapped them around his forearms, then ventured to his favorite place in the world-the kitchen.

He was humming to a silly tune and stirring the soup when Tigress stepped up beside him. He nearly jumped, startled.

"Don't sneak up on me Ti, it scares the noodles." He whined.

"Oh, shush." She pulled her wet, curly hair back into a bun against her neck. "Did you make your bed?"

"Uhh…." Po winced, grinning. "Maybe...not."

"You can do better," Tigress scolded. Po felt her elbow rest lazily on his collar bone and she leaned over. "That smells really good, though, so I'll let it slide. Better be made nice and neat after training."

"Sure, mom,"

She shoved him away and said, "Okay. Today I'm staying here. Tell Lord Zhau-Fu I've gone..shopping, or something. I'm training in the forest."

"Ti, what if he gets suspicious?" Po filled up a nearby bowl with noodles and passed it into her gloved hands.

"Then let him be suspicious. I'll go make a quick trip to the valley and buy some random stuff. He'll see me with all that arbitrary stuff and his suspicion will be dashed." Tigress shrugged and took a sip of the broth. "I have to train, Po."

"All right." The Dragon Warrior nodded in understanding. He knew how important Kung Fu was to his team-mate. "Promise you won't stay out more than five hours."

"Fine, dad." She grinned. Po reached over and clamped his fingers around hers gently.

"And remember...we've got to practice this 'love' stuff."

"I know." Tigress bit her bottom lip. "Here," She reached up on her tiptoes and clumsily pressed a kiss to Po's forehead. "Better?"

They could both feel their faces churn with heat. "Better," Po flushed. "Yeah."

* * *

Tigress went out barefoot in the forest. Not wise for most people, but the prickly grass and crinkling leaves didn't bother her. She'd reached an area full of bamboo, with a sparse ironwood between the green. The dirt beneath her toes was smooth and patted-down, as if someone had been there recently and worn their toil into the earth.

That person had been Tigress, last night, in fact. Her muscles and instinct craved for the warming comfort of back-breaking training. She'd snuck out in the darkness of the morning and pounded the trunks of the sturdy plants until stalks lay massacred around her feet and dents formed in the ironwood. Her gloves were stained red, and her fingers once again scraped.

She stared at the clearing, and the stack of bamboo she'd mercilessly snapped in a neat pile, hidden behind thick underbrush. Bloodstains had been covered with mounds of grass. The trees looked afresh and ready for another beating.

Tigress took a moment to look at the white and pink scars all over her freckled arms and hands. A few of them were newer than the others, and they were about to gather some more friends.

Tigress threw off her gloves, cracked her neck, and drew her fist back with a yell.

* * *

Po's clenched hand came crunching down on a swinging, spiked club, and it spiraled off into another direction. He dodged under another swooping club, flipped around and grabbed the chain in one hand. He swung the club into the air diagonally and it charged straight into the other weapon's chains. There was a loud _CRASH _and the chains were entangled. Po pounced over to the next obstacle, the Jade Tortoise Bowl, and glanced back to see Zhau-Fu nodded in narrowed-eyed approval.

He turned to face Monkey and aimed a ferocious kick of which Tigress would of been impressed. He hoped she was doing well.

Zhau-Fu muttered something in Shifu's ear, and unbeknownst to Po, stalked out of the Training Hall.

* * *

It was afternoon when Tigress finally finished hiding the carnage. Her brow prickled with sweat, and her fingers were scratched and bleeding. She flicked open a canteen of water and poured it over her hands, watching the lukewarm liquid flow through her fingers and leave them sticky and pink with diluted blood.

She wrapped her hands up once more and drank the rest of the water. The sun was blazing and slowly crawling down the to the skyline. The trees left green-grey shadows slapped against the ground, dappling Tigress's tan skin. She rubbed the sweat off her forearms and began plodding down a hill, on a journey to shop.

When she reached the village, the citizens bowed respectfully. She'd long caught her breath from her tree-sparring session and gotten rid of the blood, but strands of hair covered her eyes, and her stern, authoritative way of carrying herself would of garned wariness in any passerby. Funny thing too, since she was nearly a foot shorter than most the villagers.

She stopped an apple stand and offered a respectful nod to the vendor.

"How can I serve you today, Master Tigress?" The man bowed, slightly surprised to see the infamous Master shopping today. Usually it was Viper or Po.

"A dozen of those apples would appeal, xiānshēng."

"No problem." As the vendor began filling a crate with his best fruit, Tigress turned to look at Mr. Ping's right across from her eyes. The elderly cook seemed quite content with his day. He was rushing around, serving people eagerly, fending the viewers from his precious 'relics'. She stifled an almost fond smile. That old man had grown on all of the Jade Palace members, the light-hearted presence of his having amused them from the very beginning until it was endearing.

He noticed her and bowed, nearly dropping a pile of steaming hot plates. She bowed back, then waved. He seemed to be particularly giddy today, and Tigress wondered if Po had told him of their predicament. Ping had always seemed to enjoy when she was around his son.

Tigress dawdled over to another vending cart, the apples tucked against the crook of her shoulders. She picked up a stack of radishes and was in the process of buying some silk when there was a sudden shriek.

She whipped around and found a hulking, filthily-clothed bandit group; Fung's to be exact. A little dark-skinned boy was bravely throwing rocks at them as they pushed over his father's vegetable cart and held him at sword-point. They snickered at the boy and one of them, Gahri, grabbed the sack of coins. The boy yelled, at the point of tears, while his mother failed to drag him away.

Tigress didn't hesitate. She dropped the cartons of supplies and lunged towards the bandits.

At the last minute before her palm slammed into Gahri's nose, she saw a figure walking down the stairs from the Jade Palace.

It was Zhau-Fu.

* * *

_Well, leave a review. How fast I update depends on how many I get. So..._

_Have a good day!_

-DOTS


	5. Rash Decisions and Bad Luck

_Next chapter comes quickly, since I got like, eight reviews. Thank you so much, guys! The feedback is so appreciated. Also, next chapter will involve some more talking and maybe fluff, so, keep reviewing for faster updates. _

_I do not own Kung Fu Panda._

* * *

It was too late. Tigress was already grinding Gahri's head into the cobbled street, then with an agile twist, landing a heavy crescent kick on Fung's chest and swept him off his feet. She ducked a dagger swipe and pounced up with a fierce cry when suddenly she felt two arms engulf her into a locked embrace from behind.

"Get off!" She demanded, kicking the shins of her attacker. He didn't budge, instead dragging her back.

The distraction was enough for Gahri to reach up and slash at her, and Tigress could barely block the move before she felt the sting of metal in her flesh, quicker gone than it was there.

The arms swopped her back, like a movie caught in reverse. She hissed out in confusion and turned to lash out at her next unfortunate victim.

Po stepped away with the furious Master squirming in his limbs. He dropped her but grasped her hand firmly before she could leap back into the fray. "Tigress!"

Tigress spun around, her teeth bared animalistically. Her bun had come lose and her choppy, curled hair fanned over her face. "_What_ are you doing, Po?!"

"I'm saving your distressed damsel hide!" He whispered. Then, with emphasised loudness, he yelled. "Oh! I have rescued you, m'lady! Watch out, you dirty fiends!"

He gave her a last pleading, desperate look and tore forward, crossing his arms just in time to catch the flat of a blade on them. Tigress watched with boiling ferocity, struggling to keep her fury, strangely cold, from roaring out of her veins. She snuck a look at Zhau-Fu, who was watching tentatively, trying to get past the crowd. A cart blocked his view, and Tigress thanked the deities above for their grace.

Crane and Monkey had joined the fight eagerly. Crane had crouched below a fist swung, balanced on one hand and spun his feet under. the bandit's legs, tripping the buffoon into one of his friends. Monkey tied it up by grappling a nearby string holding fruit carts together, and a storm of apples and peaches tumbled onto their foes. He made a little bow out of the string and then palm-striked the angriest one for good measure.

The battle was over when Po sat on the pile of bandits and fruit and attempted a pained grin. "See? It's all taken care of. How are you doing, Tigress? Are you faint of the shock, my dear?"

Tigress swallowed the growl burning up her throat. Her face was one of smooth rock. "No. I do believe I'm fine."

Zhau-Fu had one eyebrow raised cockily. She could see him out of the corner of her amber eyes, shoving away a vendor and combing his way through the crowd.

Tigress's expression mellowed in slight panic. She bit her lip and muttered. "But...I do feel light-headed, Po," she ducked her head submissively and stepped forward. Her movements were closed and dainty, or as closed and dainty as she could make them. Po looked into her face and saw her pride sinking in sorrow.

He jumped off his seat and hugged her without hesitation.

"It's okay...sweetheart." He said. He tried to speak louder, clearing his throat. "I'm here to protect you now." Tigress winced and rested her head against his chest.

"Po," she whispered. "I, ah. I got hurt from the fight. You need to carry me up the stars to hide it."

Her voice was faint, and anguished. Not with physical pain; she could barely feel the wound's effect on her body. It was a different kind of hurt.

With everyone watching, Mr. Ping nervously ecstatic and Zhau-Fu fuming, Po quickly picked her up and searched for the injury. Two of her scars had been reopened on her left arm, bloodying her vest. It wasn't that bad, but it was enough to worry Po.

"I'm so sorry Tigress." He mumbled, his voice hitched as they climbed through the villagers with the Masters trailing behind him. Crane ordered a messenger to get the guards of to the city jail.

"It's fine," Tigress sighed. Her nose flared in muted irritation. "It kind of was my fault for getting into a fight anyway."

"No! No it wasn't," Po hung his head shamefully. "I should never have grabbed you away from the fight."

"Stop talking, my head hurts," she swatted at him impatiently. Then she noticed the curious villagers, and now Zhau-Fu again. He opened his yellow-toothed mouth to speak.

"Well?" The little rat-like creature dared. "Aren't you _glad_ to see your wife back, Dragon Warrior?" His gaze was like a hot metal rod, poking a bull into rage.

Po's eyes brightened nervously. Here he was, in front of all the villagers, and they were immensely shocked.

One of them opened their mouth to exclaim, but suddenly Mr. Ping shrieked out of the corner. "Oh yes! My son and Mast...Mistress Tigress, I forgot to mentioned, eloped last week! Isn't it glorious?"

Po sent a grateful smile to his father. He felt his team-mate groan quietly and bury her head into his shirt.

He smiled breathlessly. "Yeah! Sorry for the late announcement. Also, we have to go!"

"Wait!" Someone shouted. "We must have a ceremony!"

"Yes!" Zhau-Fu rubbed his hands together. "They should! It's tradition, after all!"

"Ceremony!" The man shouted, "Aye, who agrees? Marraige! Ceremony!"

And soon the village was chanting.

"_Marriage! Ceremony!" _

"Hey!" Tigress lifted her head up and her stern voice resounded in everyone's ears. She made Po drop her and stood dizzily in front of the citizens. "Po and I," her voice softened, "Are already married. We have no need of another ceremony, for we have enough love to amount to an infinite amount of dry, old traditions. You will not have your wedding, but you will have our...the Dragon Warrior's devoted protection. No valley could ask for more." The words were strange and sour in her mouth. Declaring love in a crowded street wasn't something she did on a daily basis. Po rubbed his hand against her shoulder encouragingly.

There was silence, and then someone yelled, "But I want cake! And, y'know, affection!"

"Yes!" Zhau-Fu joined. "It is well known just how cold you are with your friends, Mistress Tigress. It should be different with your husband. You should be more, how you would say, _enraptured_ by this man. You _owe _him some affection. Or are you just as heartless with your lover as you are with your companions?"

Every word sickened Tigress. Red stained her vision, and maybe it was the loss of blood, but she was deliriously angry.

"Don't play his game, Ti." Po murmured.

Tigress glared at him with hatred seething from the depths of her soul, at Zhau-Fu and the suddenly obnoxious villagers she was sworn to protect. Of course, she would still protect them. But maybe less out of willingness and more out of duty. _Gah. Paparazzi._

She inhaled sharply. "Fine. Fine, you're right."

Po smiled gently, then swept her up bridal-style. "Good."

"Wait," she grimaced, making sure the public was still looking. She cradled Po's cheeks in her hands and pressed her lips gently against his nose.

Po went pink down to his neck, then he awkwardly booped his nose against her forehead. He could hear the people squealing happily, and Zhau-Fu glowering.

Tigress's grimace turned into an embarrassed half-smirk. "Now we can leave. They've seen enough." She stuffed her head into the crook of his elbow and said, muffled, "Also, I'm going to faint in the next hour if I don't get bandaged up, you idiot. So hurry."

* * *

_I really don't want this to be too rushed, so make sure to tell me how you think I've paced the story out, and if you have any suggestions, I will consider them. Also, do not steal bread if you don't want to learn about the law by being nineteen years a slave. _

_-DOTS who is totally _not _obsessed with Inspector Javert._


	6. Meditation of a Sort

_I wonder if anyone will catch the two Broadway references...anyway, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I've been in the middle of a big move. But here it is! I'm so so very grateful for the wonderful reviews I've received, so I tried to make a longer chapter. It's kind of a filler, but also fluffy. Like a baby penguin. But that's another topic, nevermind._

_Anyway. That makes three references. I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Enjoy! _

* * *

"Ow." Po grunted, filling for Tigress's monotone silence while he wrapped a bandage tight around her cleaned wound.

She was staring at the jagged faint red scar criss-crossing her tan skin absently. The arm wasn't concerning her; Tigress was pondering how to wiggle out of the rabbit hole dug by Zhau-Fu and the villagers. How had she gotten this mess?

"Ooh." The Dragon Warrior winced, patting the hard white wrapping around his partner's limb. It was already soggy with pink. "Tigress? Are you oka-"

"Thinking," she interrupted, letting her head flop onto the pillow. "I don't know what I'm going to do." The silence following was heavy.

"Well," Po answered slowly, "This whole affair isn't just depending on you _only_. I'm going to help as much as I can."

"Yeah." An empty smile tugged at her lips. "I know." Reluctantly, Tigress didn't believe her own words. This was her fault, her mess. Her mistakes. Her _responsibility_.

Po stared at her with an eyebrow raised, then shrugged. "Feel better soon, Freckles." He smiled shyly and patted her hand.

Tigress growled with closed eyes and swatted his hand away. Then she breathed out a grin. "This will turn out fine."

The lie only comforted her a little.

* * *

Po sat out the door with his head cradled in his hands. His face was slowly settling down from cherry to pink, but his breathing was shallow. Gods, he was not savvy with women.

But that wasn't the main cause of embarrassment. How could he of allowed Tigress to get hurt? What kind of fake husband was he?

His chest tightened in shame. This amazing, powerful warrior, his team-mate who'd willingly sacrifice herself for him, an idol he nigh _worshiped_, someone he made a fool of himself in front of to make her smile, someone who made his heart gasp like a toddler during the Winter Festival every time she walked near, had just been injured by his rash actions.

"That'll get the girl for sure, Po," he smacked his palm against his forehead. "Agony," he emitted a pained smile, "Beyond power of speech, eh?"

He leaned back and tried to see through the paper walls of the room. Tigress was on her side, her torso rhythmically moving with sleepy breathing. Unknowingly so, Po smiled goofily to himself.

_Stars, _he thought, _she's beautiful. _

Then he lowered his head again. _And I could never deserve her._

* * *

Tigress was not asleep. Her thoughts, usually following straight tracks of reason, had begun to somersault.

The pain in her arm had dulled a while ago. She was too distracted to even notice she'd picked some of the bandages apart loosely.

The warrior reflected begrudgingly on the previous events, how Po accidentally hurt her, those superficial villagers and the cruel, unconvinced coldness in Zhau-Fu's tone. It was plainly obvious the little rat had not fallen for their exuberant displays of affection as the rest of the people had. She groaned and tugged at the strands of tawny hair framing her head.

Tigress needed a plan, one that would leave a seer a believer of their false marriage. Though she hated the idea of convulting an even more intricate lie, something big needed to occur. Dozens of possibilities humored her, but none really appealed. For a brief moment, she even considered announcing a fake pregnancy. The thought repulsed her to an extent of hilarity, so that she giggled into her pillow, then sighed.

"No, thank you," she muttered. Maybe simpler was better. Maybe she should go along with this twisted marriage ceremony. Maybe she could grow wings and fly out to the mountains and survive off creek water and rock calcium.

At the moment, the latter seemed easier. She closed her eyes, just to think, and sleep cast her under its spell.

* * *

Master Viper snuck up on Po while he intently stared at Tigress with a sheen of longing over his jade eyes. She stared at his lovesick frown and raised an eyebrow mischievously.

"Hey, bud."

The esteemed Dragon Warrior jumped up in his seat then grinned sheepishly when he saw Viper. She scooted up next to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Got a bad case of puppy love, I'd say?"

"What? Whaddya mean, Vipe?" he blushed up to his ears, waving the statement away with exaggerated hand movements. "Naw! I'm just worried about my pretend wife." He gave a strangled laugh.

"Hmm." Viper wasn't won over. Though Tigress was certainly Po's platonic soulmate, Viper cared deeply for her goofy 'brother', as she'd come to fondly call him. Over the years, a unshaken bond of friendship struck up between the two, and, like most of the Jade Palace members, Viper was Po's most trusted advisor of conflict solving.

"You should know by now, you are a very bad liar."

"Pssh," Po dragged his denial on, "I...I don't even know what you're talking about…" He groaned, and she gave a knowing smile.

"Viper, please help me," He whimpered and smoothed back his hair anxiously.

"What's the problem, Eros?" The Greek reference was lost on the despairing man, but he shrugged amiably.

"Stop teasing," he mumbled, and Viper cradled his head against her shoulder so that she could ruffle his dark hair between her fingers.

"You big oaf," she said reassuringly, "had to go and fall in love with someone who you think will never love you back, didn't you?"

"I know she never will," Po sighed.

"Listen, little brother," Viper looked through the paper walls furtively. "You've always had hope for everyone except yourself. Don't patronize your chances. Why do you think she took a canon ball for you? Asked _you _to be her fake husband?"

"Because she's my best friend," he answered timidly, but it sounded like a question.

Viper's eyes smiled at his blithe innocence. "Po, she's closer to you than anyone else, that she's ever met. I can count how many times she's smiled on one hand, and most of them have been when she was with you."

"So, I can make her smile," Glumly, the Dragon Warrior said, "Still doesn't mean I deserve her. Or that she'd love me back."

His comrade gave him a stern look. "What are you talking about, sour-sport? You are way too down on yourself! If anyone 'deserves' Tigress, it's you." She glanced at the window and the setting sun. "I came here to tell you Zhau-Fu's extending his stay for another week. You need to step up your game, and come up with a plan."

She rose up and planted a kiss on his forehead, then tapped his nose. "Po, if you don't we could leave forever. I know Tigress will want to solve everything by herself. Don't let her. And if you really need to.." she sighed and began walking out, "maybe you should tell her how much you adore her, and pull off one of those Po-centric miracles."

Po flushed. "Thanks, Viper. I think."

The green-clad woman chuckled herself silly, and whispered back, "You're very welcome, brother."

* * *

"Tigress," Po called quietly, sneaking the door shut. "How are you feeling?"

The response was a soft, purr-like murmuring that Po realized was heavy snoring muffled by her pillow. He winced, then suspiciously lifted her head up a bit; she yawned, and nuzzled her head against the palm of her hand in a cat-like manner.

"Hey, uhh.."

"Sh..shush." she mumbled and burrowed herself against his shoulder. "I'm..t'red." The Dragon Warrior noticed his comrade, was in fact, speaking a drowsy stupor; sleep-talking, for short.

Po stifled a giggle erupting in his throat. He wasn't sure why, but the reason that she was asleep and trying to cuddle his arm was hysterical. Resigning to her unconscious effort, he gently pulled her awkwardly into his arms, and in doing so, took over the job of the pillow and held her against his chest. His legs on a nearby chair and his torso on the bed, Po dragged the blanket up and glanced nervously at his 'wife'.

He felt his chest warm, like an oven, and his throat burn apprehensively. "Umm...I'll just wait until you..fall asleep."

Her response was another purring snore, and Po realized that he couldn't move until she did.

"Welp," he swallowed hard. "Guess I'm stuck."

* * *

_Okay, you know the drill. :) Please review! Tell me what you liked, didn't, and what you had for breakfast! Also, I really need a Beta reader, so if anyone has offers, I will gladly consider. _

_P.S.: Javert is a very sassy policeman._

_-DOTS_


	7. Spur of the Moment

_All right, you wanted fluff, you get fluff. Actually, this isn't really fluff, it's just romance, I guess. But anyway. _

_This means lots of talks and filler things like that, so be prepared for conversation and such in the next chapter. For the seven reviews, I give you a quickly updated, and long, chapter! I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Just, unfortunately, Zhau-Fu. Review! Favorite! Follow! Eat cookies, like the wonderful Scott Hoying!_

_Edit: Due to the rush I was in, I didn't have time to look back and proofread it. Some changes have been made to fill in the chapter and not make it feel so shocking. _

_-DOTS_

* * *

When Tigress woke up, she had drool stuck in her hair, and it wasn't her's.

Po's chin fit against her forehead; on of his arms was loosely wrapped around her shoulders and the other smushed against his face, and his legs splayed out and almost hanging off the bed. The covers, forgotten, had somehow flown over to the other side of the room in a crumpled heap.

"Po!" Tigress hissed, clawing away from his unconscious embrace. He awoke with a horrified start and almost fell off the bed.

"Oh! Tigress! I'm so-agh-sorry!" He whispered, covering his face with a pillow as to not stare directly into the raging fire contouring her face.

"Why are we in the same bed?" Her voice fluctuated, high-strung then slowing down to a barely restrained calm.

"I just...you were sleep-talking, and pulled me onto the bed, and then I got stuc-!" Her irate expression abruptly softened into ice.

"What's wrong?"

She clapped her hand softly over his mouth. "Shh!"

Po widened his eyes in question. Tigress swiveled her head around, listening intently.

Then the two both heard footsteps; scattered and sandeled, maybe limping. Tigress could see the faint outline of a cane-like object, and then the profile of a short man with a drooping beard.

"Zhau-Fu." Tigress breathed out. "What's he doing in our house?"

The man didn't seem to hear them. He stood in front of the door, as if pausing to contemplate.

_What could he be doing here? Why, especially at this hour? It looked past midnight, judging by the cold black the night from the window._ Po's thoughts spiraled, but he halted them and came to a wild conclusion. They needed answers, and the right ones.

He quietly readjusted himself on the bed and murmured, "Ti, lay down."

"What?" Incredulous, Tigress pried his hands off of her.

"Just trust me," he might of resorted to pushing her down if she hadn't obeyed, her glare enough to pierce his soul with a visible, _I do not want to do this._

As if to place the cherry on top, he hesitantly placed his arm around her torso, _again_. Tigress froze, then thawed with annoyance. It was only his pleading look that saved him.

That, and Zhau-Fu entered the room not a fraction of a second later.

His eyes were almost yellow in the light, his body outlined in grey, and the scrupulous, sneering expression looked exaggerated in the shadows. He lifted his top lip in disapproval, and hobbled over to the middle of the room.

"What a lovely couple," He hummed sarcastically, heading over to Tigress's side of the room. Tigress shut her eyes discreetly, but keenly analyzed his movements through sense of hearing.

Suddenly, she heard his footsteps fade, then the door of the house click shut. Po let out a gasp of relief, and Tigress quickly took account of the room. Nothing seemed bothered or out of place. Good. She had other business to deal with.

Po opened his mouth to ask, 'what do you think he was doing here?', when bright, flashing pain burned across his temple, and he backed into the bed's headboard from the force.

"_Oooaaw_." He whined, slowly cracking open his eyes. The hit was obviously one of Tigress's 'softer' punches, considered as effective as a slap, but Tigress, intentionally or not, had different definitions of such things. "Sweet _dumplings_, that hurt."

Po's companion got off the bed; her stare said all. She cracked her knuckles ominously, and already her face had transformed from shocked annoyance to serene rock."What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I..probably deserved that." The Dragon Warrior looked down guiltily. "Look, I'm sorry. I swear, nothing happened! I probably shouldn't of napped with you, or whatever. I didn't mean to! I accidentally fell asleep. I just got stuck and didn't want to wake you up." Po sighed, rubbing the faint pain away from his jaw. "Sorry."

Tigress scrunched up her nose distastefully, then her stare mellowed in understanding. She shrugged.. "I believe you, but I'm not forgiving you. You can sleep in here tonight, I'm going in the other room. We'll discuss Zhau-Fu tomorrow."

Po buried his head in his pillow and groaned.

* * *

The next day, Tigress did not hold up her promise immediately. She was gone in the morning, with a note hastily scrawled on the table.

_Out training. We'll talk soon._

Po, after cooking himself breakfast and changing for training, only noticed the paper unfolded on his way out the door.

_I'm sorry for punching you. We'll talk about that later too._

The Dragon Warrior headed out to the Training Hall with a confused heart and tired mind. He didn't know how he was going to mend things with his friend, or figure out what Zhau-Fu had been investigating, and he didn't know what to deal with first.

He couldn't ask Zhau-Fu directly what he had been sneaking around for, but he could inform one of his most trusted mentors.

But before discussing things with Shifu came training. He lined up with the other male Masters, facing the sun-basked Training Hall. Zhau-Fu crouched over in the corner with his gaze leveled angrily to the floor. He looked like he was hiding a secret, Po mused despairingly.

"Good morning, students," Shifu interrupted his thoughts. He paced in front of Monkey, Crane, Po and Mantis.

"Good morning Master!"

"Today, morning training will be in partners. Monkey with Po, Crane with Mantis. You will switch when I give the word." He went on to the arenas of where they should spar, yet his eyes flitted up to Po's, as if he noticed the uneasiness on his face

"Po, after the first round, you will speak with me."

The Dragon Warrior bowed. He grinned gratefully, then with a slightly less ruffled heart, set out to spar.

* * *

Po wiped the sweat off his brow and stepped up behind Shifu. The Grandmaster closed the door behind them. His eyes, icy and blue, narrowed, and he scoffed the edge of his staff against the floor. "You seem nervous, Po. What's the issue?"

"Zhau-Fu snuck into our house last night and looked through it. Nothing seemed stolen, but it was kind of...weird." He described what happened, but gave no detail as to the predicament he'd been in with his daughter.

Shifu stroked his mustache, as was habit. His fingers tightened around his staff apprehensively. "I don't know what kind of trouble this lord could be searching for, but it is trouble nevertheless." He harrumphed. "I'll keep on eye on him. There has been talk of his branch of government participating in shady occurrences."

"Thanks, Master Shifu."

"You've been taking such great..._care_...of Tigress, Master Po," Shifu said dryly, raising a ragged eyebrow. "It's the least I could manage."

Po winced, blushing. "Yeah. You're...you're welcome." He stuffed his hands into his patched-up pockets. "Let's get back to training."

* * *

Tigress was washed up, trained and aching, and ready to face the afternoon. She held more shopping articles in her arms and a clearer conscious to boot.

She'd forgiven Po, somewhat begrudgingly, and she'd also reasoned out his judgement. If he hadn't acted so spur-of-the-movement, Zhau-Fu would of caught them arguing, and she would have broken his nose out of shock. It wasn't every day she found herself awake and in the arms of a man she knew. Or didn't know, for that matter.

The experience still made her blush, and blush furiously. Po's fault or not, a tickling anger burnt at the back of her throat.

It all seemed borderline funny, now, but Tigress did feel a bit remorseful. It wasn't like she enjoyed punching her friends just for the sake of hurting them! She had just been shocked, and confused, and injured...

Tigress shook off the excuses as she set down the groceries in the Student Barrack kitchen. Po hadn't deserved that...too much. She needed to patch things up.

But the past was the past. Nuances would be dealt with later; today Tigress had a plan.

She knew it would be a devious action with it's consequences, but it was her last resort; either this strategy, or to be bound unwillingly through tradition into wedded life with a man she just knew as a friend. The thought of carrying it out was terrifying, and Tigress wishes she didn't have to entangle this lie even further, but if it wasn't put into action...

Tigress swallowed away her uneasiness and strode on. It was merely a tactic, she convinced herself, not a confession. Why would it be a confession? She thought of Po in almost any save romantic viewpoints.

Besides. It was her turn to startle her significant other.

* * *

Po found Tigress in the Jade Palace Arena, sitting in the sun and reading. Zhau-Fu seemed to be counting money on a bench across from her, in the shade of a long-limbed tree. He looked up curiously when Po entered, who bowed to him.

It had been a long day of training and thinking for Po. He needed to sort things out, and sort them out as soon as he could.

"Hey, Ti," He greeted nonchalantly, though his green eyes brimmed with embarrassed anxiety.

"Hello,"" she smirked slightly. Po did a double-take; her face carried nothing but tentative friendliness; light she obviously wanted everybody to see. He knew her better. Her eyes were frantic, but her tone was cunning. Furtive. It wasn't the usual stoic, calm face of usual, nor the surprised and irritated face of that morning.

Maybe she was about to ambush him. More probable, however, was that she was hiding-or planning-something.

"How was your training session, sire?"

Po's neck tingled. This was out of character, but he supposed, anything for the sake of faking marriage in front of an oppressive government official.

He grinned, mildly frightened. "It went well, dear."

"Lovely." She cleared her throat and put down her book. Making sure Zhau-Fu was watching, she paced up to him and leaned up to whisper in his ear, coolly and without a hint of enunciating emotion, "This won't last long. Don't be too scared." Then a pause. "Sorry. Just in case."

Tigress wrapped her arms around his neck and for a millisecond, Po's mind started to scream. Then she kissed him, and not even his thoughts could make a sound.

It seemed to last for hours, when it was barely ten seconds. Tigress hands slipped down to his jaw, and as if following some unknown universal code, Po leaned against her and into the kiss and finally closed his eyes. He didn't know if everything made sense or if nothing made sense, but all they both cared about was the exhilarating shiver of flushed faces and locked arms and mouths that fit perfectly, and almost too intensely.

It was a paradox.

Then it was over, and they could breathe again, and Po didn't know how to….work. Like he was some machine that had short-circuited. He noticed the taste of cinnamon suddenly wouldn't leave his tongue.

Tigress stepped back suddenly. It was hard to tell through her darker skin, but she seemed apple-red, and the hesitance filling her eyes was evident. She bit her lip, smiling halfheartedly. "It's good to see you back, _husband_." She pointedly glanced at Zhau-Fu, who seemed slightly disgusted and awed. Mostly disgusted. He quickly went back to his coins.

Po's breath was shallow, and he felt that if he could touch his face, it would be sparking with electricity. He finally swallowed and said, jittery, "We'll have some more to talk about now."

The wide amber eyes and shake of her head sent him a message; this was not something she would have chosen to do willingly. She mouthed, 'It had to be done', with a wistful and confused furrowing of her eyebrows.

Po noticed Zhau-Fu glancing over, and he quickly faked a smile, whispering through clenched teeth, "That was a smart strategic move, wife."

"Oh no," Tigress's grin was a sarcastic façade, and she made a show of affectionately running her fingers through his hair and down to his chin. Zhau-Fu shot his gaze to a different place, and she pulled her hand away reproachfully. "Yes, it was a battle tactic, if you will, but also...merely karma. And-" She frowned thoughtfully.

This time, there was a hint of relief in her quieted voice, "Proof for the disbeliever."


	8. Emotional Baggage

_Right! The next chapter has arrived fairly quickly, thanks to ELEVEN REVIEWS. GUYS. THANKS SO MUCH! THAT'S INCREDIBLE! It made me feel so squeamishly good it made my day. I'm so grateful! So...the next chapter will be chaotic and hopefully pleasing, as will this one. Enjoy, leave a review (and I'll update in two days, I sort of promise!), and nope, still don't own Kung Fu Panda. The 75th reviewer, FYI, gets a free one-shot of their request on my AU/drabble edition 'Never Once Told' for KFP. Just a little incentive._

_Oh! One last thing! I edited the last chapter, so now it's a lot less shocking and more satisfying. Tigress isn't as OOC, thankfully. Go re-read it before reading this!_

* * *

After evening training, the duo ate stir-fry tofu wordlessly in their empty little cottage and shared embarrassed smiles and secretive glances.

While washing his hands clean, their shoulders brushing in necessary, hesitant practice, Po looked over at his much shorter counterpart and asked slowly, "So. Do you want to talk about today?"

"Sure, if you make the tea." Tigress smirked thinly.

They met on Po's bed, which was, thankfully, neat and tidy. Cradling teacups in their respective fingers, they waited patiently for the other to begin. Po spoke first.

"Okay, I've made a list of issues to deal with." He chuckled. "First. Accidentally napping with you."

Tigress grinned, humorlessly. "You're forgiven, Dragon Warrior. It was that shocking discovery that prompted such a response. You didn't deserve it, and I apologize-are you feeling any pain still?" Her gaze was medical and concerned.

"Oh. No, thanks for asking. Might develop a bruise and marr my adorable face." Tigress smiled quietly. Po rubbed his arm and looked off to the side with a sheepish shake of his head. "Umm." Her smile had distracted him; after the battle tactic, Po kept catching himself staring at her lips.

Abashed, he decided to keep his eyes on anything but her face, so he focused on her hands and tried to see if there were more freckles than scars.

"What's the second thing?" Tigress sipped at the hot beverage and crossed her legs on the bed.

Po tried to scoot over and give her more space; something heavy pierced his heart with knowing that he couldn't let himself stay closer to her. He scowled internally and washed his fantasies away.

It had just been a strategy.

"Po?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Second thing! Zhau-Fu." He said the name with exaggerated spookiness.

Again, Tigress elicited a ghosting half-grin, that lifted the corners of her eyes and made her eyebrows rise. Po's heart clenched, despaired.

Then the grin disappeared, as was custom, behind her smooth, calculating voice. "I've theorized a few possibilities. He could of come to spot proof of my warrior identity-you know, bandages, salve, weights, of the like. I had sense not to keep those here. He could of checked to see if we slept in the same bed as proof of marriage-which, incidentally, we were." She snuck him a pursed-lip, cocked-eyebrow look of reluctant approval. "Or...he could of been searching for something to steal? I come short with hypothesi after that."

"All of those would make sense," Po noted. He dragged his finger along the sugar at the bottom of his cup and sucked on it absently. "I spoke with Shifu. He told me that Zhau-Fu might have connections to some crooked stuff in the government. And Shifu also said he'd keep an eye on that rat for us."

"That's reassuring," Tigress said. "Third?" She grabbed his teacup and set it on the bare nightstand hugging the bed's side. The warrior rolled her shoulders and leaned back on the palms of her her hands, inadvertently criss-crossing fingers with Po. For a brief moment, it seemed that action was intentional. Tigress almost felt comfortable; then drew her hand back awkwardly, as if suddenly realizing touch was poisonous.

Nervous, Po scratched the back of his neck. "Ahh. The battle tactic you used earlier?" He felt his cheeks pinken and he looked away.

Tigress coughed. Po had observed, after an earlier incident involving rice and pockets and Mantis, that when Tigress got a bad case of embarrassment her nose would flare red first, then spread to the rest of her face. Right now she looked like a very cute, proverbial clown, and luckily Po was sensible enough not to giggle about it.

"Ahh. Yes. That. Well, like you said, a basic battle tactic against the enemy. We needed to finalize and destroy any doubt he had." She paused, letting out a long breath, and turned to regard the Dragon Warrior. "Po, I'm sorry if I confused you. It was strategy, and it worked. That's all there is to it. I mean, you do wish to convince Zhau-Fu that we don't need a ceremonial wedding that could actually bind us together as husband and wife?"

Her words faded in her own ears. Tigress believed everything she'd said, but for some reason it wasn't convincing her. Strategy had never felt so pleasing before, she admitted dully. In fact, she was regretting it, because now whenever she looked up at Po, trusting, playfully staring, his soft black hair stark against his moonwashed skin and bright eyes; all she could see was a surge of unwanted emotion. It knotted up to her mouth, it made her chest warm and her conscience cold and everything else light. It was oxymoronic, and endearing, and completely unfair of him.

Po notice her eyes glazing over and absent. He asked curiously, "Tigress, you all right?"

"Yes," she recovered instantly. "You weren't too shocked, were you?"

Po felt like he'd swallowed a rock, but he smirked. "I was petrified."

She laughed breathlessly. "Believe it or not, so was I."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. I can't believe I got myself to do that." She looked away balefully. "I also...can't believe you kissed me back."

Po grinned winningly. "All for the show, like you said." His heart bounced too rapidly for his liking. Fortunately, Tigress either didn't catch or ignored his half-lie.

They allowed for a moment of repose. Po twiddled his thumbs. Tigress stretched. The stars watched them from the window.

"I, ah." Po cleared his throat. "By the way, that was my first kiss."

Tigress raised both eyebrows scrupulously. "Was it?"

"Yeah."

Tigress smirked to herself, dryly. "Mine too."

"Didn't seem like it," Po blurted out. He grimaced at her blank stare and mumbled, "Woops."

"What?"

He felt like his ears would melt from shame. "I...I mean..you were pretty good at it."

Tigress snorted and her previously healed nose turned more crimson than a rose. She honestly was clueless in how to respond to that comment.

"Ahh." She closed her eyes. "You weren't...that bad...either." She glanced at his slightly confused face and wanted to laugh at his red ears and crooked smile and drawn eyebrows.

"Besides, we're probably going to need to present our devotion as openly as we can these next days. I want to assure that we don't have to actually get married."

Tigress looked at him in hope for his approval, but instead met hesitance.

Po said, "Actually, Tigress, I think we should go through with a wedding."

* * *

_A good quote that I believe describes these two in their predicament and actions is from Les Misérables (surpriiiiisseeee): "And then, strange to say, the first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity; in a young girl it is boldness. This is surprising, yet there is nothing more simple. It is the two sexes tending to approach each other and assuming, each other's qualities." (Chapter VI, Book Third, Volume IV). The last part doesn't really suit their characters, but it is indubitably the world-renowned truth in the foremost statement, and I adore it._

_Review, and tell me if you prefer donuts or cookies. :)_

_-DOTS_


	9. Do You Hear the Wedding Bells Ring?

_For a lovely ten reviews, I give you a nearly 2,000-word chapter, full of feelings and things like such, in less than two days. I love you guys so much, thank you! This is my most successful story other than Island of the Past (review-wise, at least). I am so grateful to all of you, so here's a virtual hug! If you don't like hugs, a handshake. If no handshake, a friendly wave. If no wave, a smile. I don''t care, you're all so great. :D However, I would love to see some criticism or advice, if you have any. Give it your best shot! _

_So, I still don't own Kung Fu Panda. Read and enjoy!_

* * *

"Would you like the gown in silk or the satin, m'lady?"

"Silk, and make it red,"

Po flashed a wide, white grin. "As you please."

Tigress smiled back briefly, her reading spectacles sliding down her freckled nose as she focused on the list of preparations and called out to Mantis, who was scurrying across the Arena to assign projects to such-and-such. Viper passed by with a mountain of scrolls and invitations packed between her nimble arms. Crane followed with his loping gait, eyes bright; wedding ceremonies were his sideline passion, so there was no way he would miss preparing this over-the-top display. He kept checking everything and running in his own little whirlwinds so that he was sure to fall down from dizziness at any given moment.

Villagers set up decorations, eagerly watching the grand scene, while Mr. Ping and a few wing-picked assistants were in charge of the food. There was rumor of cake. Po was ecstatic about that, of course.

The smell of confections, fireworks, and excitement mingled in the air. Thankfully, the gods had graced this morning with a skipping wind and pink-blue skies, and the sun played tag shyly with the clouds.

Tigress paused her work to press a kiss on Po's ear with practiced clumsiness. Po grinned amiably before hurrying away. It was a little gesture to keep their audience baited. So far, it seemed as though Zhau-Fu was angrily caught in their rat trap, and no matter how hard he tried to prove them of acting-even going so far as bribing Mantis-it all came to disappointment.

He was prowling about the perimeter of the Arena, rubbing his hands together like they desperately needed moisturizer and shrilling out orders so loud, his voice echoed. Yet all the way, his eyes riddled holes in the back of the almost-couple.

Grandmaster Shifu watched him without his usual scowl, but narrow-eyed concern. He'd kept his promise to Po, scrutinizing the government official's every move in a sheen of doubt. One stumble, and Shifu would not hesitate to interfere, whether physically or otherwise. The short warrior kept his position on the top of the stairs with firm posture and a growl ready at any moment. Right now, however, he watched over Tigress curiously.

In fact, most of the Jade Palace masters were questioning their comrade. A few nights back, she and Po had suddenly announced they were to be married while Zhau-Fu was still there. Everyone had balked. Monkey sputtered nonsense. Shifu's temple had started to throb. Confusion ran supreme.

Tigress had thought their expressions secretly hilarious. Po had too, just not as secretly. The soon to-be 'bride', currently checking off her to-do list idly, reminisced back when she and Po had stayed up until the late of night compromising.

* * *

_Po said, "Actually, Tigress, I think we should go through with a wedding."_

_Tigress stiffened, then blinked slowly. "What?"_

_"Think about it!" Po reasoned eagerly, "We get sort of 'married' while Zhau-Fu's here, convince the village and him, he's gone, we get divorced, and ta-da! Everyone's happy, and we get lots of food as a bonus."_

_He watched for Tigress's face to brighten, but instead she sighed. "Look, Po, I can see how this could have potential. But if the one government official who's overseeing our marriage is Zhau-Fu, he'll make sure any kind of divorce would be illegal."_

_"Then...we get a different official, find loopholes, get divorced!"_

_Tigress didn't know whether to laugh or grumble about his childlike naivete. "Po. Listen. Do you know a divorce would show on our record? Zhau-Fu would find out, through gossip or legal documents, or some form of news, and come back with a new suitor for me. Besides, getting divorced is nigh impossible. Haven't you heard? The only way to legally be separated is if one of us dies, there is 'partner incompatibility', which would be hypocritical and eventually uncovered by Zhau-Fu, or I commit a crime, in which case I would be sent to jail."_

_Po looked down at his hands. His hopes were smoldering ashes after being gently reprimanded by Tigress, but that didn't mean he was going to give up yet._

_"Then we don't get divorced. That would seem pretty shady to the villagers, anyway, right? So we find out...or! We _make _a way so that when we get married, it's not actual marriage. It will just be a ceremony, with no legal nooses involved. We'll sign our names wrong, switch up some documents, tell the person officiating us to say or do something wrong, whatever. So then, technically, we won't be married, we stay friends and go kick butt together towards the setting sun happily ever after."_

_Tigress huffed, mildly annoyed, but mostly baffled by his stubbornness. Sure, this guy was making some dents in her resolve and some good points, but there was no way it could work._

_Right?_

"_I know that look," Po smirked, "It means I'm persuading you, huh?" He poked her side with his elbow, jousting. She grit her teeth half-heartedly._

"_I'm trying to reason this out."_

"_Don't overthink it, Ti! It really is simple!" Po laughed in quiet glee. Tigress hid her sudden wave of light headed happiness triggered by his smile, which hadn't happened until after the battle tactic. She needed to pull her shaken pieces back together._

_Where was she? Ah. Marriage loopholes, divorce, yadda yadda yadda. His explanation, though it made her cringe in it's childlike flawlessness, and it stung her pride just a bit to admit, was practical. If she managed to grasp at the straws of his adamant faith, it could...possibly...just barely...work._

"_Nothing is ever black and white, or in that case, simple, Po." Tigress stated, exhaling loudly. She closed her eyes, scowled, then locked her amber-crimson eyes on his. They reflected the dumbstruck hope painting his face. "At least, not for me. But you're right. I can see how this could work."_

"_Aww, yeah!" Po did a little jig on the bed, pumping his fist in the air. "We'll totally figure this out. So, how do you want to fake marriage? False signatures? Someone objects at the wedding, like a soothsayer? She can claim that our 'births are not aligned', or-mmpf!"_

_Tigress smothered his rush of overeager words with her hand over his mouth, and he whined in protest. She pushed him down on his pillow and watched him squirm a bit before snickering gruffly. _

_She patted his hair. "Good night, Dragon Warrior. We'll talk in the morning."_

_Po sighed exaggeratedly. "Ooh, okay." _

_Tigress yawned, and Po followed suit, incidentally. "Guess we need it. Get some rest, Ti."_

_She picked up the tea tray and stalked outside. Her outline was faintly purple, her caramel skin shadowed in silver and her eyes fiery. Milky starlight highlighted the orange of her hair; she looked like one of those mythical deities Po had learned about in school. Tien-Mu, goddess of lightning, or something. He couldn't look away._

_Tigress smiled one of her ghosting, grim smiles."I'll try, but I can't promise anything."_

* * *

Five days later, after nothing but business nonstop, the wedding was nearly complete. Po and Tigress had tried to amplify their quota of public affection, and to their mellowed awe, the people bought it like Mr. Ping's hot noodle soup on a rainy day.

Fond gestures came to them smoothly now. Most of the time, their hands pawed at each other for comfort, their shoulders brushed against each other in almost mechanical unison, and they tried to remember to grin whenever they looked at each other.

Of course, they weren't without their fights and flaws. That was a normal thing between them in any kind of relationship; with Po's stubborn, carefree boyishness, and Tigress's cool indifference that could be, if you were persuasive enough (or had a death wish), provoked into bursts of violent anger, the two were like a combination of fire and ice about to spontaneously combust. They argued anywhere, and everywhere, at times oblivious to their surroundings, and other times they concealed their irritation with fake, corroding smiles until they got to their house. Then all their pent-up Hell broke lose.

But the beautiful, purgatory-like thing about their relationship was that it always healed, and through it, they learned; bruises nursed, sulking frowns soothed. Tigress could hold one heck of a grudge, but Po could forgive anyone, anytime. Po talked to much for his own good, but Tigress could bear it with a patience gifted from above. They had their wisdoms and strengths, their weaknesses and face-palm-worthy habits. And hence, throughout the week, they adapted to each other. Their thoughts aligned in certain ways; they learned to think the way the other was thinking. To their slightly distraught surprise, they taught the other; they complemented and fulfilled the false spouse to their full potential.

Tigress learned that Po jumped on beds when no one was looking. Po learned that Tigress could snore, and _really loudly _at that. They both had nightmares. This usually ended with soft-faced, downy-haired talks and red eyes until early the morning, or Tigress would throw a pillow at her 'husband', especially if it was about the radish agenda pursuing him again.

In public, everything intensified. In over less than a week, all the villagers were convinced, and the 'married couple' were sure they'd have Zhau-Fu on their hook soon. At one point, Po swooped Tigress up on his shoulders and she stayed up there for a good hour, her head resting on her elbows, lopsidedly folded on his black-haired head. She pointed at him for which way to go, and like the good fake husband he was, he obeyed. Sometimes too quickly for her mute opinion, but, she couldn't have everything.

They 'snuck' in a lot of kisses too. Not quite as strangely thrilling as the first battle tactic, but they left Po blushing and wonderstruck and Tigress resentfully giddy, with energy she didn't need. They'd gotten better at that mode of affection, too. Pecks on the cheek were 'awwe'd' over by the citizens of the valley, little forehead caresses 'ooh'd' about. Lip-related battle tactics strayed far and in-between, but they were always almost painfully obvious. Sometimes Tigress's were too fierce, sometimes Po's too deep, to either of their liking. It wasn't intentional. They just got carried away, like any sensible human in their predicament would of. They were accustomed to the other's taste, the way of holding the other, the warmth of the other's face and hands and chest. Po was gentle, Tigress unpredictably sensitive or passionate. And their audience's eyes stayed glued to them the entire time, much to the soon-to-be-officially-but-not-really-married couple's hidden mortification.

What wowed the villagers the most, however, where the 'I love you's' exchanged by the pair. Mostly from Po though not entirely, they proclaimed it just loud enough to be heard, or called it out sheepishly from far away. The problem with this was that it was too real. Po physically ached when he intoned those three venomous words, because he said them with all the truth he could muster from his anxious soul. Tigress smiled shakily and whispered it loudly, with a fierceness that shocked her and left her with a wondering question in her head and trembling hands she couldn't quiet.

Unaware to each other, contradictions and doubts snapping in the Masters' minds. Both were excruciatingly confused with a whirlwind of emotions that gusted in and knocked over their resolve, their reasoning, the light they saw each other in.

Because of this, everything had changed.

* * *

_Right, so you'll see some more of Ti and Po angsting over their bewildered emotions in the next chapter, along with a certain type of tree and some feel-good hugs. You've been warned._

_Please leave a review! Remember, 75th gets a one-shot of their choice! I might do something for 100th, if this ever gets to that many. But just to let you know, this story's only got a few chapters left, four or so tops. Tell me how you feel about it so far, and whether you think Gandalf or Darth Vader would win in a fight. :)_

_-DOTS_


	10. A Sad Little Girl and Her Trees

_We...ARE the Furious Five...WE ALWAYS SAVE THE DAY. And if you think we can't. WE'LL ALWAYS FIND A WAY._

_Yes, I've gotten into Steven Universe, don't judge me. It's an awesome show, and now I can say I've mourned over rocks. Ayyy, any other fans? Anyway, this chapter was SUPER CUMBERSOME to write and I kind of gave up on it by the end. BUT IT'S 4,000-ish WORDS. JUST FOR YOU. (AND THE NEARLY 4,000 VIEWS ON IT, YESH)._

_The winner of the free one-shot is...Guest! I think I'm going to call you Kitty unless you give me a name, but your one-shot will be up in the next two days or so on Never Once Told, and written as you requested. _

_Thank you guys SO MUCH for **76 REVIEWS IN TOTAL, **12 for the last chapter. You just blew me away, and I'm so happy! Let's see if we can set a record...15 reviews for this (super long, hurt/comfort) chappie? I know you all can do it! It would definitely speed up the next chapter, I promise. So enjoy, leave a review, I don't own Kung Fu Panda, and remember that Steven is a precious cinnamon roll, to good for this world, too pure._

* * *

Po's palm fit snug against Tigress's, and her fingers tightly curled like lace through his paler ones. Together, they hiked up the hill, hearing the tireless admiration of their audience, the valley-goers, fade as the descended into the forest.

They let go as soon as there was the soft quiet of the wood around them. The Masters' steps crunched lightly on the grass, leaves, and twigs littering the worn path. The trail, mostly beaten dirt and warm, flattened grass, beckoned one through towering trees with aging red and brown trunks, stiff yellow bamboo and a canopy of gold-green that left calico marks on it's explorers. Storm clouds bumbled in across the evening sky, a horizon of purple and fading blue struggling against the oncoming army of grey-white, lumpy soldiers. The wind was still and humid; birds and insects called out trilling warnings, the patter of rabbit and mice feet crinkled the undergrowth. Po accompanied Tigress with his mouth shut in a curved line, his eyes wide and searching the melancholy and whimsical forest. He was like a child; dashed forward when he saw a sparrow hopping around the dirt to catch it; poked his head through bushes and squealed when he spotted a butterfly; stepped on any twig he deemed crunchy enough to snap; ripped leaves of branches and blew them away like wrinkled bubbles. Tigress merely watched out of the corner of her eye, allowing herself to smirk every now and then at his antics.

The pair had escaped the preparations taking over the last of the fortnight of Zhau-Fu's stay for some privacy in the woods, mainly to discuss everything happening and what exactly they were to do to prevent them from wedded bliss forever. Tigress decided she'd sneak in some training, and she currently wrapped yellowed, starchy bandages around her forearms. Her feet were bare, and her shoes were in Po's hands. The soles of her feet delighted in their freedom, the softness of the wind-swept, decaying grass and the crumbling texture of recently rain-splattered dirt. Po seemed to notice this.

"I wanna try," He grinned, pausing to awkwardly snatch off his shoes. He raised one eyebrow cockily at his friend. "I bet you think I'm not man enough to go barefoot."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "No." She paused to smirk. "I bet you're not woman enough."

Before Po could retaliate, he yelped. Half a thorny vine peeked out between two of his toes, and his face twisted into a grueling mask of pained shock. He whimpered as he delicately pried his foot off, then held it up in his hands, barely balancing on his other heel. He hopped up again, this time with a swallowed cry, and swatted the calf of his other foot frantically.

"Augh! Tigress, I've got a huge spider on my foot!" He popped up and down like an overexcited, dancing spark of fire. "Don't just watch me suffer! Stop-aaahaaAh! Smiling like that!"

"Po, that was just a leaf. Also, you're about to step on an anthill."

"Guaaah!" Po leapt onto a tree and scrambled up a branch, desperately clinging onto the splintering bark. He squeezed his eyes tight and clawed at a higher limb, like the ground would swallow him whole.

Tigress's face crinkled, and against her will, she began to chuckle. Louder and louder, until it became a stream of fluctuating laughter, infectious and hearty. Po tried to hate her, but with that kind of adorable, crescent-eyed giggling, and the fact that she snorted and covered her mouth with her hands in horror of it was too much for him. He felt his heart beat in his ears and smiled goofily. His attempt at a scowl melted.

Tigress's laughter faded, and she straightened herself up from her bent-over position. Her sides were in agony and her cheeks felt like they would split apart from the smile that she couldn't kill. Po slid down with over-the-top cautiousness and casually asked, after clearing his throat several times, "I would like my shoes back, please."

Hiccuping slightly, Tigress held them out. "What did I tell you?"

Po hung his head in shame, grinning bashfully. "I don't think I'll ever be woman enough to walk barefoot through these..." He put on one shoe and kicked a tuft of grass, "gosh-dang woods." With a pouting haughtiness he crossed his arms and stifled a laugh at her stern look.

She began to walk away, making sure that he would catch up.

"Was there even an anthill?"

"No comment."

"I really don't like you."

"Oh yes, I know."

* * *

They ducked through a tunnel of knobbly chocolate limbs, boasting wine-colored plum blossoms that showered down into their hair and shoulders at any friction. Branches twisted in an arch over their heads. The sun's wane light warmed the flowers in different shades of tangy red and lilac. Tigress didn't have to bend over to get through, but Po did, being the taller one. He was about to tease her about it, but her knowing glare shut him up before he even said anything.

The passage of flowers, shadowing Po's brow in maroon, ended abruptly in a grey light coming from a clearing. The two stepped out, one behind the other, and Po looked around in awe.

The trees were huge. A thick circle of obsidian columns loomed around them, a battalion poised and eery in the ashen sky. Their branches stretched to the setting haze of the sun and they were clothed in clustering flowers of pale, blushing pink petals that only emphasized the dark of their armored torsos. And as for armor, Po thought, the trees had gone all out. Their bark was smooth, but as one advanced, they would see the nasty spikes, about the size of a man's thumb, jutting out of their trunks, shining and ready to snare into someone's unsuspecting flesh.

Tigress immediately seemed to relax; her shoulders loosened and she inhaled the sour, cold scent of the blossoms and musty wood. It was comforting, to her, to stand in the abstractedly circular, pale-sanded clearing, surrounded by something she knew would never leave, even if she was angry, or sad, or ancient and graying. The trees merely watched patiently whenever her hands bit and gnawed into their bark, like a hungry tiger, tearing apart their armor until her hands were soaked in her own blood. They hadn't run away when she was young and her furious facade would crack, and she'd break down into ugly, wracking sobs, her back digging into it's mauled trunk. They were emphatic when she cursed herself and her ineptitude to please her father; they listened to her ranting about how she wasn't good enough for him. They were still here, embracing her as she grew, every time her face colder and more emotionless, and all they could see was the steady flash of her feet and hands pounding, over and over and over, for 20 years. The Ironwoods were her humble, understanding guardians.

Po looked over at her serene smile and tilted his head. "Twenty years, huh?"

"Ever since I was seven," Tigress nodded. She ran a gloved palm down one of the trunks absently, noticing how the thorns pricked at her bandages in satisfaction. "They've always been this tall, they've just become less intimidating as I grow." Her tone was almost fond.

She tugged at her wrappings with her teeth, making sure they were secure, and began to stretch and warm-up. Po sat down on a pale white rock, boasting a coat of bouncy moss. "So. Let's go over what we'll do for the wedding."

"Well," Tigress murmured as she brought her right leg up against her back, one palm against her calf. "Whatever we deem simplest. We've entangled ourselves in enough lies, and I don't think it wise to make this hole deeper. Forging or signing false signatures is a complicated process to struggle out of."

Po's head lolled on his fists, and he watched her with a sort of wistfulness; she was so eloquent in her speech, and elegant in her movements. Tigress pretended she wasn't noting the soft gleam of his jade eyes, gazing at the grass instead. The green of it seemed to pale in comparison to that of his, no matter how agonizing it was for her to admit that. She sat down she craned her hands out to reach the tip of her toes.

"Uhm," Po said, "Well, we're both adopted, so we already had to make a really quick betrothal letter, and by we I mean my dad. We've also had to fake and show a gift and wedding letter for Zhau-Fu. The gifts were mostly food though, so I'm pretty okay with that."

"What about the six etiquettes?" Tigress cracked her neck, then her back and rolled her shoulders. "We did the matchmaker proposal ceremony already. We didn't serve tea, the proposal was successful, and now she has a year's supply of dumplings, right? So we didn't have to fake that."

"Oh yeah! That soothsayer didn't have a beard, I remember. She was the one who confirmed the dates and stuff. Right?"

Tigress huffed out a brief chuckle. "Po, that was the fortune teller who proclaimed our dates matched and such. Second etiquette."

"Oh. Third was the gifts Shifu got from my dad, right?"

"Lots of gifts in these ceremonies. That took care of wedding and betrothal gifts. Then the banquet was yesterday, the day that the soothsayer prophesied on."

"I couldn't even eat breakfast today because of all the food." Po patted his stomach affectionately.

"You ate a snack at ten o'clock. That counts as breakfast." Tigress shook her head. "Anyway, the actual wedding is in three days. We've made sure that the day does not match the soothsayer's. So are we going to make her say that we're not compatible?"

"I don't know." Po shrugged. He was sketching out a face in the dirt with a sharp twig. "We could do that, but wouldn't Zhau-Fu force us to do it another day?"

"Good point. Okay, we can do that _and _false signatures. The soothsayer can declare that our marriage could end in flames and death, and that should scare everyone. I don't know about Zhau-Fu's personal views, but Shifu informed me that the people of his region are highly superstitious. It should convince him. That should be enough, and even though it's a trap that will be difficult to get out of, we'll have to take the risk. Otherwise, we'll be married, and we'll both have to give up our titles."

"Both?"

"Yes. We're both a threat to the other's safety; it's not just a sole rule for the Dragon Warrior."

"That makes more sense. I'd always thought the Dragon Warrior's wife or husband would be in just as much danger as the spouse of any other Master."

Tigress nodded in approval.

"So that's cleared?" Po grinned, and he felt a little rush of dizziness shoot up his spine when she grinned back at him.

"Yes, and now, I'm training." She exhaled longingly, anticipated the sting of wood bruising her knuckles with closed eyes.

"Can I train with you?"

Tigress turned from her perfected stance with a quizzical twitch of her eyebrows. "What? No."

Po balked at the defensive tone and startled look. "Why not?"

Tigress wasn't sure why a sudden surge of absolute resistance soared up. Her nose flared in irate confusion. She didn't know exactly how to pinpoint her feelings, but it seemed like the Ironwoods...were her's. They were something unique only she had. The one thing she could claim that made her intimidating and different, apart from her reputation.

"No," she repeated, again perplexed by her own defiance. "I..this is a personal kind of training. Besides, it's perilous."

"So the trees are yours?" Po asked incredulously, without any sarcasm, but more bluntness. He rose from his seat and walked over, brow furrowed.

"It's…" She swallowed down the sediment of her emotions. "It's complicated, Po."

These trees were what she used to unleash all her concealed thoughts, her bitter sadness and violent rage. She'd poured her secrets out on these trees and their iron wood and thorns. It was her blood and sweat and tears. Her scars came from her torture! This was her medication, a numbing relief, that _only she _could have. It was like biting your tongue until it bled. The hurt was good for her. But for Po..he didn't have her snarls, her silent condemnations.

"Why not?" Po asked again.

"Because you don't deserve to hurt yourself like I do." She paled at her abrupt threat, and realized with a sickening kind of cold how dangerous it sounded. She swallowed and looked away.

Po's eyes widened, and he found his eyes haze over with warmth. Her words seemed to pierce him straight through his soul and jut out through his shoulders. "Tigress…" His voice deepened in seriousness. "What do you mean by that?"

"Stop," she growled, whipping her head around. She struggled to not narrow her eyes. "Please..let me do this for myself." Her own words, out loud, thoughts running in her subconscious now in her own ears, seemed malicious. She tried to play it down with a half-hearted smile. "It's only training, Po."

"Tigress, this isn't healthy." Po shook his head and reached out to place a hand on her tensed shoulder. "I think I understand now. I thought it was cool back during Gongmen, but I don't know anymore. This doesn't seem right."

"I'll be the judge of how I train myself. Besides, it's no worse than the Training Hall." Her voice stayed in the same pitch, yet became darker with each syllable. She shook Po's arm away and got into her stance again. This time, due to lack of concentration, it was sloppier. When she punched the trunk of the tree, her knuckles slammed deep into the wood and the forest shook, reverberating with a thunder-like boom. A flock of birds cawed and flitted off into the blackening clouds.

"Tigress stop," commanded Po. His eyebrows shot up in distress. "Please."

"This is nothing! You wanted to train a few minutes ago," She scowled, completely focused on the tree. She punched again, sharper, harder. The tree moaned. A sudden gust of wind swept her hair back, and she kicked her adversary with a series of snapping kicks. Po saw droplets of blood streaming through her bandaged fingers, and he wanted to pull her away with strength he didn't have.

"I don't want to anymore, Ti!" He said, exasperated. "I thought the trees wouldn't hurt so much, but look at you! You're bleeding, and you've been practicing for twenty years. These are more dangerous than the Training Arena."

Tigress didn't seem to have noticed herself bleeding. She scowled, and delivered another stunning blow. "How are these trees more _dangerous_, Po?"

"Because you do this to hurt yourself, not to train." Po growled, reaching over frantically to refrain her.

"No! This," Tigress turned to him, and Po barely recognized the wild, fanged glare of her's. "Is how _I made myself who I am._" Her punches became a flurry of intense, angry jabs that were completely unorthodox in their precision. "I _did this_," strands of hair covered her face and framed her contoured anger, "To _train myself _to be the best I could be! I didn't do this because I was _disappointed _in myself! This was constructive. You wouldn't understand, because you didn't have a father..." She drew her arm back, halting to growl out her next words, "who didn't-,"

She grunted, refusing to finish her sentence, and her knuckles ricocheted off the splintering, white wood of the inside of the tree, "Then, just when you've gained his pride, and you begin to show the side that no one _ever_ sees, you go on a mission, and fail to protect your best friend from _getting blasted by a cannon_." Her sentences became frantic, her movements choppy. She refused to face him. "First! You train to gain praise, to be worthy, then you realize all those hours of torture, meant to make sure no one you ever cared for got hurt, were for nothing! Because, I," She punched again, "Wasn't good enough," again, "To save," harder, faster, more aggressive, crueler, "You!"

Her last word was a roar, her last blow so savage the trunk cracked straight around the perimeter.

The silence was suddenly deafening, and when Tigress spoke, it was a whisper.

"I was supposed to protect you, and I failed you. I failed Master Shifu. I failed China. I failed myself. That's why I need to get train until my bones break, until I'm good enough, and _discipline myself_, so that next time I won't...I won't be..." she sighed, and her bottom lip trembled. "A...disappointment."

She hung her head, her eyes red with unsaid cries for help and barely concealed tears.

Po hesitated behind her, the pregnant silence of the oncoming storm and clearing laden with bitter sorrow. He slowly reached over from behind her, then engulfed her in a tight hug. His arms squeezed against her stomach and his head tilted down against her shoulder blades. Tigress let her arms hung limp against her sides, her whole body void of want for movement.

"Tigress," Po looked up, to the back of her wild mess of tawny hair. "I..." He sighed through his nose, and ignored the rumble of thunder, followed by the sudden dots of rain pattering against his shirt.

Tigress looked up, squinting, a raindrop plopped down on her cheek and rolled down to to her chin. Her amber eyes pinched up, hot with teardrops, and she let them follow the example of the rain. Po allowed for silence. Rain attacked the Ironwood's flowers and ran down the Master's skin like slivers of ice.

Po laughed, faintly, "You know, Tigress, I've always idolized you, and don't tell the others, but you were my favorite, since I was a kid. You were the most coolest ever." The belief in his words was unshaken. Tigress let out a breathy kind of laughter that comes as a side-effect of crying; tiny spurts of trembling air that are grieving, but heal.

He stood there with her in his arms, his square jaw on top of her head, his chubbiness giving the effect of hugging a pillow. That didn't fare too badly with Tigress. She found herself slowly smiling as he continued to tell about his obsession with her and the other's, but especially her, 'bodacity'. She could tell he'd averted angering her with a stylistic joviality, but there was a resonating note of sheer worry and care in every word.

"Ti, you're really important to Shifu, to me, to the Five, and to all of China. You're amazing, and you don't need to prove anything, especially by beating yourself up in ways you don't deserve." His voice saddened suddenly. "I know I can't possibly help you with this kind of pain; I don't understand it, you're right. But please stop. You are the exact opposite of a disappointment, and you should know that. In fact, I'm going to go lecture Shifu about the awful way he treated you after this whole dumb marriage thing."

Tigress laughed again, without her voice quivering. "You don't need to." She suddenly realized she was rubbing his forearms with her bandaged, splintered knuckles. Rain ran down her neck, suddenly warm, and she pulled her fingers away.

"You're not a disappointment." Po stated firmly, his hug warming her sides, his breath tickling her neck. "Shifu's proud of you. And about Shen...I'm sorry. That was my fault, for being an idiot and not listening to the one who knew best. I understand now, why you took the cannon for me. You were making it up to me-"

"I would of done that, no matter what circumstance. At least I pushed you away, that time." Her voice wanted to hitch, but she grabbed it by it's metaphorical horns and willed it stoic.

He chuckled into her hair, "Tigress, listen. You didn't fail anyone. And you need to accept that. You did your best, we all lived, and we learned from it."

"You almost died." She repeated. She'd stopped crying as soon as she regained her willpower, and now drying tear streaks ran down her face. It was drizzling heavily, and the marbles of rain joined the saltwater.

"And that wasn't your fault," Po sighed. Tigress bit her bottom lip stubbornly.

"It was Shen's. You need to learn to forgive yourself." In this, he was adamant. "Or at least try."

The Dragon Warrior waited until she nodded, defeated. He hugged her tighter and grinned. "Thank you."

Tigress found herself reluctant to step away from his embrace, which she scolded herself for. Po waited for her to gather her dignity with a gentle patience to his smile.

It was strange; Tigress felt like that grin began mending the gaping wounds of all the resentment she had towards herself, slowly stitching themselves back together. It was enough to melt the anger she'd had towards her failures, if just a bit. She could feel it make her cheeks warm and a dull pounding ring in her ears.

It was a kind of caring expression that she'd never seen on anyone's face before, at least, directed at her, and she didn't want it to leave; why, though? Why did his presence, the soft lifting of his lips, his doting worry, heal her?

"Better?"

"Yes." Tigress paused. "Thank you."

"Hey, anything for you" Po nodded timidly, suddenly red. The Dragon Warrior shook it away with a snarky narrowing of his eyes.

"Bet I'll beat you to the Palace!" He jousted, light-heartedly, and his eagerness comforted her.

Tigress smirked slyly, rubbing one eyelid to banish the tears goodbye. "We'll see about that,"

On their way home, amongst the pouring rain, barefoot and racing and drenched, Tigress realized that maybe she loved him.

* * *

_She is their fury, he is their patience, they are a conversation..._

_REVIEW! AND tell me what your favorite kind of Gem is! (I can't decide between Peridot and Garnet)._

_-DOTS_


	11. An Almost Wedding

_Aye, so I'm sorry dearies, that this took so long! Got caught up with this amazing, heart-wrenching thing that is Steven Universe and just...PEARL AND LAPIS NEED WARM BLANKETS AND HUGS AND HAPPINESS._

_Anyway, thank you for reading! Enjoy! I don't own Kung Fu Panda!_

* * *

"Are you excited, dear?"

"Very much, mǎ mǐ." Tigress dipped her head against her collarbone respectfully. The bent, white-haired lady with deep wrinkles grooved into her smiling, browned face reached up to carefully twist a few multicolored ribbons around Tigress's intricately fixed-up hair. A bun of orange-brown curls rested against the nape of the Master's neck and strands of it were already escaping it's chokehold.. The woman helping her, Fàn, wrapped the ribbons around her hair so tight Tigress could feel her skull ache.

"Good. You should be! He is the Dragon Warrior, after all."

Tigress smiled politely. "Yes, Fàn."

They were prepping for the huge wedding ceremony; 'Mistress' Tigress's dowry had already been presented to Mr. Ping, and outside of her temporal house, a troop of six guards and a palanquin awaited to carry her off to the wedding. It would be at least a thirty-minute walk down to the middle of the village. Thankfully, this would give the soon to-be bride time to think.

Fàn held up a mid-sized looking-glass from a far angle and analyzed her subject's apparel. The dress, a _cheongsam_, had been dutifully made to fit Tigress's short, lithe frame, made of glistening crimson silk that shimmered in the morning sun's light. It pinched against her waist, uncomfortably, and flowed out at her ankles. Wrapped around it's entirety was a delicately stitched pattern of a gold and silver phoenix. A loosely-tied silver sash wrapped around her waist, golden sandals a size too small stuffed against her calloused feet, and to no one's surprise, a pair of thready brown trousers hidden under her dress.

Tigress swallowed away the want to look at her face, only briefly makeup-ed, with most of her freckles hidden under a pale powder and bright eyes enhanced with a dash of eyeliner-which she had very much wanted to refuse-and her hair pulled back to reveal trimmed eyebrows and reddened lips. She knew she looked nice, according to Fàn's standards, but she knew it also wasn't Tigress. The Master didn't want to look at her reflection and see a shadow of someone she never wished to be.

"Now, young one," Fàn brushed off unseen dust from Tigress's drooping sleeve. She nodded smugly at her perfected masterpiece. "You're off!"

Tigress bowed in thanks and left, her face darkened and troubled. If one looked closely, they could determine that the almost-bride was going through a great interior struggle.

She arrived outside, squinting at the pale slice of sun in the grey sky. A curtained silver-and-red palanquin was outlined in morning dew and surrounded by kneeling armored servants. Tigress barely noticed she'd slipped inside the fancy litter until they were bumping along the dipped valley.

_Craa-aac-ks! _**BOOM!**

The fireworks, as ceremony foretold the bride's journey, had been lit. Comets shrieked and lit up the bland sky in sparks of red and gold, and Tigress was glad the palanquin curtains muffled the deafening screams of celebration exploding in the sky.

There, poised and erect and smothered in crimson shadow of the curtains, Tigress sighed and buried her face in her hands. In darkness and pounding noise, her thoughts reigned free.

She hadn't had enough time, she decided. Over the last few days of arranging the marriage, of feigning excitement, of playing along, Tigress had been at war with herself, and Po had been the first shot from the cannon.

She _did _love him. Tigress begrudgingly confirmed it to herself after reflecting on the torture of looking him in the face and smiling fondly, anticipating the little caresses of his hand against her cheek, and all the while knowing, with this sudden disgust, that it was fake.

She was enjoying herself too much, in the small public intimacies, and yet it hurt more than any punch to the Ironwood's she'd ever thrown.

Why? Simple enough. It was ending, because it was an act. Her leading role was beginning it's last scene, and then where would she be? Thanking Po for participating, listen to him joke around a little bit, and go back to being strictly comrades, and close friends.

And she'd just realized it, too! The universe had cruelly awaited for the perfect time to strike and screw up everything planned and organized, both in Tigress's emotions and wedding.

The last two days, painfully aware of the acute, unwanted affection scattering her every thought, Tigress had begun to stiffen her actions, knowing it would seen be over. Po joined in this. Their hands stopped grazing the other's for support, Po stopped boyishly running his fingers through her hair and ambushing her with little surprise hugs, Tigress stopped leaning against his shoulder or circling her thumb across his knuckles. They froze up, perhaps even worse than before, and stared from distances they couldn't cross with hurt understanding.

And now, the wedding was to be interrupted. Of course, Tigress didn't want to go through with it. She just needed more time, to sort out this surge of torture that made her want to laugh and scowl at the same time.

Tigress hid it all behind her normal stoic demeanor whenever she and Po were alone together. Well, her stoic demeanor, and the usual friendliness of the confusing platonic smiles and laughs and kidding punches. Po had also relented to sparring with her in the Ironwood clearing, yet forbade her to touch a blossom of the trees; Tigress felt slightly scalded by his carefully hesitant overprotectiveness, and yet flattered to some extent. For him to care enough to hold her back from 'disciplining' herself only added to the list of why Tigress was beginning to see why her heart had chosen him.

She was...overwhelmed. How to sort everything out in ten minutes so that she could figure out, firstly, how to hide her feelings until after the wedding, and secondly, how to channel them out in the correct way.

A sudden jolt in the road and then a bumpy stop, and on the guards, with his face pointedly staring at his feet, slid away the curtain. "_Mistress_ Tigress, we have arrived."

Tigress, refusing his hand, jumped out gracefully and patted the sides of her dress with indifference. "Thank you, Zeng."

"My pleasure,"

Tigress took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Fiercely, she stared ahead of her and her future procession, ignoring the flowering darts of colored fire smoking throughout the horizon. Anxious and slightly tired villagers stood lied out the sides, leading up to the center of the valley, where wooden benches had been hoisted the evening before. The Furious Three stood up in unison with stifled confusion and raised eyebrows, hid behind a thick layer of formality. Peach blossoms and lotuses and tiger-lilies, thanks to Crane, were strewn across a display much like Po's and Mei-Li's failed attempt, with the greyness of the clouds adding a distinct melancholy similar to what Tigress was feeling. Shifu stood at the side, his hands behind his back and eyes trained on Zhau-Fu. Mr. Ping was ecstatic yet kept _his _eyes keenly on his masterpiece-a towering wedding cake, pale pink roses contoured on it's four tiers, white and gleaming. Occasionally, Ping swatted away a few meandering flies with a ferocity unlike his usual docile attitude.

Many of the villagers had been ooh-ing and aah-ing in resplendent admiration of the fireworks, but once a few pointed out the newly arrived bride, a collective gasp spread, and all eyes trained to Tigress. Mr. Ping clasped his hands together and squealed breathlessly. Shifu's eyebrows raised and unlocked a level of surprise Tigress had only seen when Po had first been made Dragon Warrior. Her face flushed knowingly, and she concentrating on the trail in front of her.

Obstructing the bride's path lay a silver-lined saddle, and Tigress resisted the childlike urge to flip with flourish over it like the Master she was, instead skipping over it grudgingly. Dust puffed up from the dry ground solemnly when she landed.

Her amber eyes flashed up, if only for a second, and met with grass-green ones from across the scene, and Tigress cursed herself. She'd _intentionally _avoided eye contact with Po, but the closer she got, stiff strides and placant, the harder it was. Po's hair had been slicked back, his hands clenched and his face paler than a full moon. Dark circles swooped under his eyes, but his lopsided smile wouldn't crack, wouldn't die. Tigress scolded herself for being so observant.

The Dragon Warrior was nervous, and currently he was trying to hide the fact that his fingers were trembling. So many things could go wrong. The wedding could actually be officiated, the soothsayer might not show up, Zhau-Fu would fail to buy it, Tigress would be banned from the Jade Palace and he would lose his best friend, and he also couldn't remember if he'd brushed his teeth.

Po hadn't slept last night. He'd listened to Tigress soft purr-snore from the other room and achingly fantasized what the wedding would be it were real. It had made him grit his teeth and try to murder the thought, but it just clung to his conscience, menacing and wonderful.

He rattled out a sigh through his nose. If it were real, he might be less nervous, or more. If it were real, he'd be smiling ear-to-ear, Mantis would of made lewd jokes before the ceremony, Monkey would be whooping along to the fireworks, Viper might of cried, Crane would hand her tissues. Heck, Po might of cried. Tigress would be smiling, adoring of him, and Po would know that he would have adored her more.

But everything felt cold, cold and distant, like a half-forgotten dream. For the past few days, they'd both deflated in the affection they'd just gotten used to displaying, and Po missed it terribly. The pre-ceremony traditions, witnessed by a pining Zhau-Fu, the bridesmaid games and such, had emptily carried out a few hours ago, with chuckling grins and downcast eyes. Now he was waiting, at the mercy of the villager's stares and the fireworks cries. The drumming had begun, echoing the beating of his heart. Po hadn't wanted to stare at Tigress, but it was nigh impossible, for everyone, child and elder, man and woman, Master and villager to _not _stare. She was different.

She wasn't Tigress, but she was an amazing doppelganger of her, and Po was entranced with her ready grace and the outfit complement her..everything. Fireworks lit her hair gold and her dress purple. The sun hid, because even it was outshined. At least, that was the truth in Po's opinion.

She was beautiful, yes. But it wasn't the Tigress he knew how to act around. Po dared to counter the villager's murmurs of 'Oh, now she looks like a _proper_ lady,' and 'Ha! Finally, some improvement.'. He reflected on Tigress laughing quietly after he'd complimented her on battling some crooks in some province, her knuckles bruised and a freshly stitched scar running down her jaw, her hair tangled and plastered to her sweat-beaded forehead, humbly proud of defending the ambushed family they'd saved; and he knew that was how he saw her, passionate about Kung Fu, and fiercely protective of her friends and her nation, and more beautiful than ever when she loved something.

That's when he recognized the Tigress he loved. The one he saw here was only another figment on this abstract dream that was soon to be over.

Undoubtedly, however, she was the most stunning thing of the dream.

The drums, steady and booming, jumbled Po's thoughts, and he almost jumped as the grandest and final fireworks showered out behind his back.

The walk down the dirt and flower-scattered aisle, as she was followed by guards holding orange lanterns and wafting incense and a grumpy-looking Fàn, their secret plot twist and persuaded soothsayer, seemed to take a dynasty. She reached Po and turned to stand with him shoulder to shoulder. The Masters' gazes flitted together for a brief second, they shared an anxious breath and nod, and they slid on their most charming smiles.

The crowd stopped their chatter and awed exclamations when the drumbeat rolled to a stop. Shifu kept his eyes locked on Zhau-Fu and Mr. Ping granted his delighted observation to his son instead of his cake. Zhau-Fu, Po noticed, was standing in front of his escort, a troop of hulking guards, whom Po hadn't seen until now. Tigress raised her eyebrows in suspicion, and Po reached over to squeeze her hand in concerned support. Tigress accepted his comfort, but didn't let her eyes wander from the strangers.

Shifu hurried up, standing in front of the villagers, and a gong rang out amongst the valley. All whispered talk subsided to hitched silence. Shifu cleared his throat.

"As father of Tigress, and Master of the Dragon Warrior, I am hereby officiated, by government and these ties, to officiate the wedding. I sincerely hope-"

"Silence, Grandmaster!" Fàn burst out from the sidelines, dressed now in drab, darkened clothes, her face powdered ashen pale. "I have received a critical message from the universe! It foretells of a terrible fate, for the village, and the couple!"

Tigress nodded in approval. Fàn whisked out a bowl and some powder, quickly throwing into the dishware and sparking into a puff of flames with some tool she hid in her clawed hands. The villagers gasped as smoke rose into the sky and swirled into an explosion.

"Your Valley of Peace shall be destroyed! The gods forbid this marriage! Why? I will tell you why!"

Fàn suddenly paled and she cut her sentence off with a guttural squeak. Po squinted. "That...why does she look so scared?"

The guards surrounding Zhau-Fu suddenly seemed to grow twice as large, stretching up to their feet. Most of them brandished weapons, slick swords or brutish maces. Zhau-Fu stalked over to the aisle, near the banquet table, and pointed accusingly at the almost-wedded couple. A sly grin flickered across his oily, mottled face.

"Ah, so you claim. Soothsayer." His voice quivered in his justified self-righteousness. "I will have you know, that you are lying! This whole marriage is a fraud, that disgrace of a woman is, in fact, a Kung Fu Master, and I hereby banish you, _Mistress _Tigress," He waved his hands mockingly and snapped out, "From the Valley of Peace! You no longer attain your position, and if you set foot in this pitiful town of yours, you shall be jailed immediately!"

The guards suddenly flocked around the rest of the Masters. There were a good two dozen, and a few more lackeys, previously ducking in the crowd, threaded their way past the people, pushing and shoving, circling the Masters. The people screeched. Shifu barked out orders, and the remainder of the Five, Po, and Tigress struck poses, waiting for the command to strike. Zhau-Fu let out a harsh, high-pitched cackle.

"I knew it! I knew something was off." Tigress's eyes narrowed, a spark of jubilance in them. Suddenly, she seemed to understand Zhau-Fu's threat.

"But…"

"And, if you _resist _my orders!" Zhau-Fu seemed to read her analytical, slightly panicked mind. "We will start with a sort of bribery. Every time you say no, or even so much as shake your head, one of your precious valley-people will be-"

He snapped his fingers, and one of the guards lifted a child from the ground, his fingers curled tight around the little girl's neck, and he shook her violently. The girl gasped, pawing frantically at at her ambusher's grip. Her shocked, protesting parents were dragged up from under their arms by a heftier guard.

"Shall we say, in government speak, _dealt with accordingly_." Zhau-Fu tittered gleefully.

"Stop! Stop this!" Shifu snarled. Tigress began to leap forward, yet Po hesitantly held her back with an arm in front of her.

"Tigress, you can't!" He pleaded.

"My honor is not worth the life of my people, Dragon Warrior." Tigress hissed, angry with his stubborn refusal. "Masters are not selfish, if they are to be noble."

"Then I'll fight with you." Po took her hand in his and narrowed his eyes. Tigress opened her mouth to speak, trying to hide a knowing smile. The genuine, foolish loyalty of her friend did not surprise her, yet it reassured her, if in a bitter way.

"And so will we," Shifu interrupted. His students noded. "This is not a battle for you to fight alone."

Tigress shook her head sadly. "Master, forgive me for denying you this, but the Valley will need their heroes, and Zhau-Fu will arrest you all if you fight with me."

"It's true!" Zhau-Fu rubbed his hands together, twitching his eyebrows in maniacal pleasure.

Letting Po's hand go, Tigress bounded up past the guards and comrades. Using one of the mercenarie's shoulders to push herself up, she flipped over the crowd, knocking him down in the process. She landed between the two guards and swept her feet under the shins of the one with the girl. When he was unbalanced, Tigress snapped up to her feet and chopped down on his elbow, simultaneously jabbing her other fist against his nose. The guard gasped in pain, his fingers prying off the child's throat to cover his ruptured, bleeding nose.

Tigress caught the girl and, with her still in her arms, nimbly twisted around, and crescent-kicked the second guard against his chest. Narrowly, Tigress missing his captives. The guard doubled over but did not loosen his hold on the girl's parents, instead roaring and barging forward to headbutt the Master. Tigress pivoted around and the guard barreled forward, turning around just in time to meet a sound kick to the head. The little girl squirmed away from her savior's hold and embraced her winded, startled parents. Tigress turned around, her ribboned hair frayed, her makeup damp, her fiery eyes dancing with a challenge.

"Ah-ah-ah! You resisted, you idiot _girl_!" Zhau-Fu harrumphed, glaring yet joyous. "Prison it is, then! Guards, attack this insolence!"

The rest of the Five took their cue, yelled out battle cries and quickly encircled her.

"What are you doing? Protect the crowd first!" Tigress said through her gritted teeth. "They can't fend for themselves!"

"She's right!" Shifu craned his head sideways. "Spread out! Protect in quadrants."

"I'm staying with you." Po growled, turning on his heel so that his back pressed against hers, a circle reduced to two. The rest of the Masters quickly engaged in combat, thinning out to different sections.

"Po. I can do this on my own."

"Yeah, sure! But wouldn't it be more fun if we worked together, like the husband and wife we almost are?" Po jousted, raising his hands in a locked stance, and Tigress could practically hear his smirk.

The villagers protested. They yelled, called for help. angered. Zhau-Fu giggled, flashing his rotting teeth. "Oh, but I am your Authority! You cannot defy me, and neither can your precious Master Tigress!" He seemed to be twirling in happiness, his shoulders facing the table laden with steaming food. Po's eyes widened when he realized Mr. Ping was crouched under the red tablecloth, trembling.

"In fact!" Zhau-Fu continued, oblivious to the noodle cook. "I might as well make her mine! What good is it for her rotting in jail, if she could be rotting with me!"

Tigress shivered at the horrid notion, ducking the punch of a guard. Po grabbed the guard's sloppy swing and twisted him over Tigress's back, slamming him against the ground. Tigress sprang up just another combatant's sword came slicing down, ready to split Po's head in half, and caught it between her forearms, then scissor-kicked the guard's knees. The attacker crumpled, and Tigress hoisted the weapon up and then cracked the hilt down on the guard's head.

Zhau-Fu still rambled, ignorant to his guards, who though still outnumbered the Masters by a wide margin, were quickly falling to their opponents.

"Ah! Imagine! You could join my concubines, Mistress Tigress. A mere slave to my will and desire! Oh, it would be _wonderful_! I'm sure I could also _lend _ you to some of my guards! I could-"

Suddenly, he whipped around, his proclamations ending in a hiccuping squeak. He'd heard a loud rustling from behind. "Who's there? Show yourself, peasant of mine!"

Mr. Ping caught his breath, his fingers gripping the tablecloth in anguish. He was on the other side of the table, watching Zhau-Fu, protected by a semicircle of his brutes, make such nasty comments, and now the restaurant owner could take no more.

He skittered up from his position. Stacked high on the table lay his grand wedding cake, and Ping wiped away a tear before shoving it forward with all his might, towards were Zhau-Fu stood poised and suspicious. "No one!" his teeth clenched in fury, Mr. Ping growled, "Speaks of my son's fake bride-to-be like that!"

He gave one last mighty push, and the cake gave in to gravity, falling like a great monument, ominously grave. Po turned around just in time to see it cave down, and with his cry of "Dad!" alerted the others to watch.

Zhau-Fu gasped and squinted up to see what the others were waiting for in such muted, anticipating horror, and the last thing he saw was a sweet tower of white smashing into his face.

* * *

_Review, because the next chapter is the last. 100th reviewer gets a two-shot, for incentive. It will be posted separate to my other stories, and can be about whatever said reviewer wishes. _

_Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to lament for snakes, because sadly, they don't have any arms._

_-DOTS_


	12. Finally

_Okay, so, I procrastinated. Sorry. _

_I also have other excuses, which include: Steven Universe, Hamilton, Personal Project and high school. You guys can pick and choose._

_Sure. But anyway, here is the last chapter of Learning to Love. Please, **please **__leave a review! It would mean so so much. Tell me what you loved, what was meh, what you hated, your favorite moment-this is my best story on this site, and you reviewers are responsible for that. Thank you so much._

_Special thanks to those who reviewed for each chapter. You guys are absolutely amazing. _

_Lastly, to the 100th reviewer-you shall get your 1 or 2-shot around next month, hopefully in the first 2 weeks of December. _

_I had so much fun writing this, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it just as much. Thank you, again._

* * *

"Lord Zhau-Fu, you are hereby denounced of your title, and set to future trial and incarceration in Chor-Ghom for actions outside of government bounds, the smuggling of ancient relics, the threat of violence to the public, and abuse of power," Zeng read from a scroll, his eyebrows raised haughtily. Behind him stood the Five, Po and Shifu with varying degrees of smugness locked over their faces.

Tigress crossed her arms, watching Zhau-Fu as his wrists were bound and he was shoved into the cart. The little rat was gnashing his teeth, his eyes laden with unsaid antagonism. Well, one his eyes; the right side his face had swollen yellow-blue. Tigress hadn't exactly been feeling merciful when the little rat popped out of the destroyed cake a few minutes ago, screeching. Mantis jeered at him as the door to the carriage slammed shut.

"Good riddance," Viper shook her head. She shuddered the morning's events. "Po, we cannot thank your father enough."

"I think if you made him another cake he'd be pretty happy," Po mumbled, and his friends snickered. "I'm not kidding, the ingredients were expensive and he almost cried!"

"When he toppled the cake?" Monkey asked

"No, when he bought the stuff to make the cake."

They laughed again, and Crane patted Po's shoulder. "We promise, we'll make it up to Ping."

The Dragon Warrior chuckled shyly and held a brief glance with Tigress. To his assumption, there was nothing there but shared amiableness and humor, among the shaken relief from Zhau-Fu's departure.

By reflex, his hand had reached out to jumble itself up with hers, but at the last moment, he inhaled sharply and pulled back. Tigress purposefully ignored the sudden realization and hurt flashing across his green eyes.

"Ah," He gazed down at the floor. Right. Everything he'd wished to have was gone. Whipped out from under his feet, and he was dumped at the beginning again. Somehow, the chubby warrior eventually grinned away the negativity.

"It's over! Zhau-Fu's never coming back, we're all safe, and..uhh..the important thing is no one got hurt."

He resumed his Po-esque cheer with every gaining syllable, yet it there was a tangible sadness pricking at the edges.

"Po," Tigress's eyes widened. She snatched his right hand up and examined it between her cradled fingers. Po winced, trying to draw away from her grasp.

Tigress pursed her lips, frustrated. "You broke your wrist?"

"How could you tell?" Po murmured bashfully."Ow! _Careful_."

"I _am_ careful, yet obviously you weren't," Tigress's voice rose to a subtly fretting pitch. "You're going to get this bandaged immediately." She nodded at the other five, "Excuse us, we'll catch up with you later. Master Shifu, I'll be in the Training Hall."

"O...kay," Shifu had barely answered before the Dragon Warrior and his daughter were marching off.

"Sprained wrists usually don't excite Tigress that much." Mused Crane.

"That's not what was exciting her." Viper grinned.

There was a pause, and then Mantis said, "So, is anyone else going to come spy on them with me?"

* * *

"Ti…" Po whined, and Tigress refused his pleas and dragged him up the Palace stairs.

"You helped me last time, it's my turn to return the favor." Tigress let his hand go, and her comrade begrudgingly caught up to her pace.

"All right," He accepted it with a sigh. "It's not _that _bad."

Tigress noted the regained friendliness in his composure, but made no effort to try and return his joviality. Po had to be mollified with her stiff smile.

The almost-bride, upon the ruining of the wedding, resumed her train of bitter thought of how everything had ended, mixed with the emotional pang of confusion towards her desire. The more she looked at Po, the more erratic her actions and ponderings became. At times, it could be controlled, but sometimes she'd glance at his smirking face and couldn't stare away.

She wondered, allowing herself to indulge in thoughts that could only end in ashes, if Po would ever look at her and feel his brain run in circles, his grin slowly forming from the little flames of adoration he had for her. The warrior grimaced, not in disgust, but in agony. Why did she entertain herself with falsities?

In the deep recesses of those falsities, hesitantly she wondered how it would feel like to kiss him freely, without lies or chained to a need of showmanship,

Tigress shut the thought off, boxed away in her corner of unthinkable hopes, and focused on which salve she could use once they reached the Barracks.

Little did she know, Po's mind chugged along the same track, and coincidentally, his heart beat to the same rhythm her's did. Secret and torturing and wildly enamored.

They entered the Barracks, painted in afternoon splashes of green shadows and the lazy peach rays of the sun. The musty oak and paper walls of the Barracks muted the outside's haze and quieted the atmosphere. It was perfectly silent, and every sound the two warrior's made seemed to resonate too loud.

Po plopped down on the healing room's bed. It had been a while since he'd been in the student's actual quarters, so it brought a nostalgic bittersweetness to the place. Po faked a smile.

"Back to our boring, less cozy rooms, huh?"

"I missed my mat," Tigress didn't skip a beat, sitting cross-legged on the mattress beside him with a first-aid kit nestled in her arms. "It was firmer. My bed was too soft."

"Nothing's ever good enough for you, huh?" The Dragon Warrior joked, and Tigress scoffed mutely.

_You could be, _She hissed mentally at the invading thoughts. _Don't even try, Tigress._

"Well, _I _liked where we stayed." Po shrugged, then cringed. "Please don't twist my pinkie, Ti!"

"It's necessary. Stop whining."

"Aw." Po watched her, precise and confident in her movements. She rubbed some sticky bland healing salve against his yellowing bruise and let it air-dry as she sorted out the bandages.

The Dragon Warrior, ashamed to admit it, savored the brush of her fingers and reddened visibly. He tucked his hand away, wincing at the pain shooting through his bones.

"What's wrong?" Tigress glanced up.

_Wrong?_

Po suddenly felt a rush of words fill his mouth at the meeting of their gazes, and he faced the urge to let everything spill. He shoved away the burst of things unsaid down to his despairing lungs, but it wouldn't _sink_.

_Get a grip, you idiot._

Tigress watched him pale, the exasperation of a man lost flaring in his expression.

"Are you okay?"

"I think...I think I need to go outside." Po tore his eyes away and pushed himself up clumsily.

"I'm not finished with your wrist." Tigress stood up to stop him with a stern glare.

"Okay. Come with me, then." Po mumbled half-heartedly and he hurried out the door. Tigress followed, bewildered, bandages clutched in her hands tightly.

They paced up the stairs, Po anxious, Tigress confused, both of them refusing to look at each other. Tigress finally took his hand and slowly began to wrap the bandages around his wrist, tight to a fault.

"Ti, was I good fake husband?" Po asked with what was obviously meant to be intoned as playful, yet came out abrupt and serious.

"Well," Tigress found her breath caught in her throat. "Of course. Was I…" She cleared her throat, tightening the last bandage into it's knot. "Was I a good wife?"

"Best ever." Po grinned. Tigress noticed he grinned sorrowfully. "If you could do it again, would you?"

"Everything remaining the same?"

"Everything the same."

Tigress shrugged, and knowing the direction his questions would lead to, blushed slightly. "I don't see why not."

Po felt a rush of relief knock over the last sense in his conscience. "O..Okay. Sweet. That's...sweet of you."

"It was actually better than I expected," Tigress admitted, and Po's eyebrows jumped.

"Oh?" He squeaked. His inquiry extracted nothing more from Tigress.

He didn't realize Tigress clasping his hand in hers. Somehow, he reasoned, she was still tying up the last of the bandages.

They stood in uncomfortable, ecstatic silence, waging war in their innermost thoughts. Po squared his shoulders and gulped down the scorn of his fear.

"Tigress, I," He heaved out a gritty sigh, "I have something to say."

"Do you?" Tigress gritted out her nervous mumble.

"I do," Po almost laughed at the irony of his words. He closed his eyes, unconsciously leaning forward. "And it's...it's that when we were pretending to be married, those were the worst days of my life."

Tigress blanked completely. "What?"

"Absolutely." Po shied his gaze away from her bewildered face. His hands trembled, pulling themselves away from her subconsciously tight hold. "I..It was _awful_."

The mood shifted drastically. He couldn't tell what Tigress was thinking, but she backed up and refused to look anywhere but his face. Her crimson eyes looked hollow of understanding, and yet, full of emotion.

"Oh." The statement was helpless. She seemed lost. Tigress was apprehensive; she felt like any stumble of Po's of words and she could end up wounded. "Why?"

"Because…" Po was no poet. He couldn't shape his agony into a heartfelt, sorrowful confession of his hate for their lie and his love for her. "I, umm." He rubbed his temples with his palms and groaned. He hated this, this lie, his cowardice; right now, more than ever, he wished Viper was here to provide moral support. But he couldn't rely on her, now. All he had was his crumbling will and the injustice of doubt.

Tigress stood waiting for an answer, hesitant in her expectation of his answer. Half of her guessed that he just might, possibly, be on the verge of saying something awe-striking, something that would make her heart burst. The other half shook its head and laughed at her hope.

"You're awful," he laughed out, a skeptic to this aching pain. He gasped at his words. "Wait. Well, I mean-"

Tigress felt herself smile cruelly. "Po, you're not making sense."

"I know-I have to..pull myself together." And by the look on his face, that would be quite the challenge. Pale, shaking, almost sick with despair.

He felt himself grow frustrated; with himself, that was not how he'd planned to confess anything to her, and calling her awful was a leap why out of the field. It _had _been awful; being with the one he adored and not even letting her know. He was a hot mess. Tigress sighed and placed her hand on his arm for support.

"Po, no matter what you have to say, it's okay. I'd appreciate it much more if you were honest with me about this. I don't care if you think it's awful. That's fine. But..tell me why." Tigress's voice became one of a stern mother's; Po sighed at her demanding tone and faced her waveringly.

"Okay, here's why:" he began, and felt his throat clench up with refusal. He pushed away the boundaries of his nervousness and rushed out, "_you're_ not the one who's awful. Our situation was the awful thing. Tigress, you...you were the best part of it."

Tigress felt herself freeze. It wasn't until later she realized she'd stopped breathing for quite a few seconds.

"And you wanna know why, Ti?" He giggled, nigh delirious with worry. "It's because it might of been a lie to you, but everything was real to me, and it hurt more than anything I've ever felt."

"Real." Tigress repeated, and the effect of its truth echoed emptily in her head.

"You tore me apart, Ti, because every time I said 'I love you', I wasn't lying."

There was a deafening silence, a mute response to Po's tender whisper, seeming like he'd just proclaimed his feelings from the top of a mountain.

He shrugged, feeling a cold relief wash over his flushed face, He'd gotten it out; it was finished. Right now, he felt as vulnerable as a healing scar. "And now you know, I guess. Do whatever ya want with that information but just...know it's true."

They stood there, quiet, a swelling of awkward, tangible emotion and Po's broken, quiet laugh between them. The Dragon Warrior closed his eyes in defeat.

"Well," Tigress finally spoke, and her words were heavy. "If it wouldn't seem to cliche of me to say that, I must say, for me as well," her fingers curled into her palm, like she was about to punch something. "It was also true. Not every minute of it, but," the words finally sank in. He loved her. He'd just admitted it.

The sullenness of her words vanished. She smiled timidly. Inside, a rush of exhilaration fled through, beaming. It was sweet and warm, like vanilla, and fiercely brutal, like alcohol. An odd mixture of childish and dangerous.

He loved her. _Hah! Funny thing, Dragon Warrior. I love you too._

"I realized it was...real, about half-way through." The honesty seemed to melt out, until it finally dripped into Po's conscience. He was slower to react than to process.

Finally, he seemed to be shot. A flash of denial came first-_no way, this can't be!._

Tigress's face brightened at his agonized expression. "Po, I'm not kidding."

"This whole time-faking it, lying about a marriage, the affection, it was all real? And...mutual? I mean, you feel the same way?" He was stuttering. Another bullet flashed through, this one of joy.

"_Holy-_" Po was submerged in a flood, partly euphoric, partly shocked at the irony, dumbfounded and angry and happier than he could remember ever being. He couldn't look away from Master Tigress's face, reflecting his own emotions.

"This can't be happening!" Po felt his voice grow louder, like an excited kid's. "Tigress-"

His partner laughed, a gentle laugh taut and caused by the hilarity of their situation. Married, and not even realizing they loved each other until now. How ludicrous.

Po found himself a subject to the gravity of adoration, seeing Tigress's wide smile. She was still in her wedding dress, the bottom part torn, barefoot, hair wildly fanning her freckled face. Stunning, in his opinion.

Po could only imagine how he looked-broken wrist wrapped in haphazard bandages, ruffled hair, dirt-smudged brow and a devilishly nervous grin that seemed to split his cheeks. Matching, beat-up Kung Fu Masters without a care in the world because they were so happy, so in love.

He felt something slightly aggressive, a sudden reassurance. The Dragon Warrior couldn't stand to just look at her _smiling _and not do anything in return. He dipped forward, his hands cupped her face, and he didn't hesitate to kiss her.

It took Tigress's breathe away, and not just literally. She felt herself face a wall of surprise, unsure how to move past it. Slowly, her hands crawled around his waist. He had to bend down, she had to stand on her tip-toes. For the first time, their height difference seemed to matter beyond mild ridicule. They could barely maintain the kiss.

They were smiling too much for it to last long enough, anyway.

They broke away, blushing, jittery. "Po-" she wanted to sound scolding. It came out giddy. "Don't scare me like that," she was the farthest away from scared, tucked into his arms. Satisfied to a neurotic extent. Po smirked.

"I'll ask next time, Ti. I'm still learning." The fringe of Po's hair tickled Tigress's forehead.

"And so am I." She nodded, failing to keep a serious facade over her bubbling enthusiasm.

"In that case," Po tilted his head and ran his fingers down her jaw. "May I kiss you again?"

Tigress, amused that he actually asked, smiled ecstatically. _Oh, what a story we'll tell._

"Why not, my dear husband?"

* * *

_The End_

* * *

_Before I leave for good, I have a query for each of you readers. I have recently received an invitation to publish this on Inkitt, a site that searches for good stories, fandom-related or not, and is rated by likes it receives. I'm asking a) if I should publish and b) if you could hit me up with a like if I do publish it. Thank you, if you do this, but don't feel compelled to._

_**Thank you** for reading, please leave a **review** if you wish, and **have a wonderful day**._

_Out for good,_

_-DOTS_


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